


Kingdom Hearts III: Re:Written

by JCMorrigan



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: (And maybe that'll be a sequel fic if this is fun enough?), AND JUST GUESS, Aladdin TLM and Toy Story, All seven New Lights are identified, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And what ships I do like, But I tagged it for safety's sake, But throw out everything you knew about Union Cross, But you'll probably be able to figure out my biases, Character Development, Ensemble Cast, Extended canons were used, Gen, I did not like III, I mean Back Cover mostly is, I'll re-explain how it works, I'm just really sour and also really creative, IF YOU KNOW ME YOU KNOW WHO I MEAN, Kairi lives in this one, Mixture of prose and summarizing gameplay mechanics, No canon ships, Now with way fewer Organization redemptions, Now with way more Disney villains, Rewrite of III, Scala ad Caelum is expanded, So I am rewriting it, Some worlds were changed, Some worlds were kept, The character death isn't EXACTLY a death..., Union Cross is not canon, WHICH MINOR VILLAIN I MANAGED TO WORK IN HERE, Yeah he's here too, You probably want to be familiar with the animated series for, callbacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 02:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 131,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21680044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JCMorrigan/pseuds/JCMorrigan
Summary: In the story you knew, the princess dies. The villains give up their cause for the Light. The witch is kept offstage. The friends never resolve their differences. Lessons go un-learned. Three of the chosen Seven go unnamed. And the hero throws his life away to trade for something that should never have taken place, based on harbingers of death disguised as the trappings of love.In this story, the princess lives. The Darkness deepens. The witch makes her power play. Old grudges are recalled and dealt with. Everyone learns something. The New Seven Hearts stand together. And the hero...well, he may or may not be better off in the end, but at least his heart was true, and all of his friends truly his power.***I am dissatisfied with Kingdom Hearts III. So I'm rewriting it.
Relationships: Aqua & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Axel & Xion, Sora & Kairi, Sora & Riku, Vexen & Demyx
Comments: 178
Kudos: 51





	1. Prologue: Twilight Town

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t like Kingdom Hearts III. I liked parts of it. But not most of it. To that end, I have come up with a full rewrite for how I would have directed III, were it in my hands.  
> I noticed that III seemed to take about half the time for me to play that 1 and II did, leading me to believe that you could potentially have put more game in that game. Therefore, my outline will be significantly longer than III’s story was. And if that means the graphics style would have to be bumped back to II’s level, that would be preferable to me. After all, Vexen didn’t need pores. I’m going to do this in a different format from my usual fanfictions; cutscenes will be written fanfic-style, but exploration and battle sections will simply be described, as it would be rather clunky to try and put a game map into prose.  
> Now, I have been informed that some of my decisions would have never made it past the rights agreement between Disney and Square based on how contracts limited their interaction, but this is just for fun. All the same, I decided to keep it accurate to the time period in which it was released – meaning as cool as it would be to use Moana, I refrained. I have changed out some other worlds for a new order, and I did dip into some deeper cuts and extended canons to fill out storylines for some classic return visits. Also, I have decided to omit Union Cross as we know it – anything you need to know about it will be given exposition by the finale (and I do have a vague mockup of how I would want a Union Cross outline to go in this ‘verse; if this goes well, you might see that someday).  
> Finally, I don’t claim to be the utmost authority on Kingdom Hearts. I have strong opinions that are not necessarily resonant with the majority. I may make some story decisions here that you won’t like, and I hope you will either stick it out or call it quits when you no longer enjoy this piece. This is the outline of the dream game I would like to play, not necessarily the one I think would be a best-seller. With that, I hope we can have some fun on this journey!

_Before we begin, an outline on the new mechanics added in III, and how each will be treated, as not all will be story relevant:_

_-The GummiPhone will still exist and serve as your journal and hub. It will also take pictures, and characters will still react to having their pictures taken. Photo missions will be a sidequest you can do for Moogles, as in canon._

_-No more Lucky Emblems. Instead of Lucky Emblems, you unlock the Secret Movie by completing the Moogles’ photo missions, which will be more varied and dramatic._

_-Synthesis is more akin to how it worked in the previous two console games._

_-The Gummi Ship will not fly through a sandbox ocean with enemies of varying levels. Instead, as with the previous console games, each world is accessed through a preset route that is designed differently, and once you wind up at your destination, you can warp back to it at any time. The reason for this will hopefully become apparent as this outline progresses, as the intent is to have the Gummi ship bordered by different cutscenes depending on which world you set out for on the map._

_-There are no Classic Kingdom minigames. However, there will be QR codes scattered in Twilight Town and Radiant Garden that you can photograph to gain items such as Potions or Ethers._

_-The cooking mechanic remains the same. Le Grand Bistrot will play its part._

_-Shotlock is no longer a part of this game. All exploration/platforming sessions that required Shotlock to access a target will be redesigned to circumvent that._

_-Keyblades will still transform._

_-Attraction Flows will be the same as in canon._

_-Summons will not be attached to a Heartbinder; that name will be assigned to a different plot device later. Summons are obtained through charms, as in II, and my Summon roster will be different from the Links in III._

_-Flowmotion remains the same, as does the ability to run up walls, as it spiced up the platforming._

_-Team Attacks (which may be renamed back to “Limits”) will still occur as per usual. However, given my shifting roster of party members, some will be the same as canon and some will be removed or invented. Assume all of the Donald and Goofy Team Attacks will be the same._

_-Magic will not suggest itself to be cast with Triangle. You can only access magic by assigning it to shortcut keys or by using the Magic menu. You also no longer need to manually upgrade your spells; Thunder will progress to Thundara and then to Thundaga naturally as you learn those abilities. The Water spell will be kept._

* * *

KINGDOM HEARTS III: RE:WRITTEN

-NEW GAME

* * *

Many years ago, a world lost to history served as a nexus for the cosmos. This was a world of magnificent island cities floating on a pristine ocean, seagulls fluttering between the pinwheels and gables on sunny days. Here, Keybearers of old learned the ancient arts, assigned to defend the Light of all worlds.

This world was Scala ad Caelum.

The central island of the Keybearers’ archipelago was home to a very particular castle, adorned with the symbol of the Seven Lights. Within this castle lived a prominent Master and three apprentices. Of those three young boys, one, Yen Sid, was beginning to stray from the path of the Keyblade, choosing the way of the sorcerer instead. He was most often found practicing his magic a few islands away, with a mentor more suited to learning the arcane arts, before returning home to sup with his teacher and classmates – his family.

The other two young boys liked to spend their time not training playing games of skill. For instance, a chess-like game, with a Light side and a Dark side. It seemed obvious to tell which boy would pick which pieces in each match. After all, he who played the Light dressed in a coat of white while he who played the Dark wore a contrasting black.

Day after day, they challenged each other’s minds, daring each other to outthink. That, however, did not mean they were above petty insults. After all, they were still young.

“You’re cheating,” Xehanort accused.

“Am not!” Eraqus defended, hastily throwing his hands up from the pieces on the board.

Xehanort let out a light snicker. He knew Eraqus wouldn’t lower himself to foul play. All the same, it was fun to get a rise out of him. “If you say so.”

Pieces were moved in silence before Xehanort muttered, “I wonder if our training is meant to put us into the game.”

“What?” Eraqus asked.

“You know of the Keyblade War, fought long ago over the Light.”

“Of course. Every Keybearer knows that story.”

“It has always fascinated me,” Xehanort mused, moving another piece. “The very idea of summoning the Heart of All Worlds…I wonder what they planned to do with it upon summoning it.”

“I don’t know,” Eraqus admitted. “I think…maybe…some of them thought of it as a test. To see if the worlds were worthy of the purifying Light.”

“Hm.” Xehanort was silent a while.

“Did something about that bother you?” Eraqus asked at last.

“It just seems strange,” Xehanort mused; Eraqus had put one of his pieces out of play. “The Light is all we are ever taught. It is our duty to defend it and spread it. However, Light is only one side of the coin. There cannot be Light without Darkness. Just as in this game. There must be two sides for anything of import to happen. I have always wondered what, exactly, would happen if the limits of Darkness were pushed. Perhaps we could achieve new things, never thought possible.”

“Xehanort!” Eraqus cried, freezing in place. “The things you’re saying…that’s dangerous talk!”

Xehanort looked up to see the look of utmost concern on his friend’s face. Realizing he had to do some damage control, he gave a soft smile. “Don’t worry. It isn’t as though I would ever do anything about it. Even I know it’s a bad idea.”

“Phew,” Eraqus sighed. “Besides. I think you’re wrong.”

“How so?”

“See, unlike Darkness, there’s more to Light than meets the eye. Darkness can’t exist in a vacuum, and that’s why anything that gets sucked into the Realm of Darkness loses its original form after a while. But Light can maintain itself even without the Darkness. That’s why we protect it. So that one day, every heart can be filled with Light, and the worlds will be at peace.”

Xehanort smiled. “You know…when the time comes to pick a leader, they’re going to choose you.”

“Huh?”

“You understand the doctrines that I question. And you can see a bright future where I see uncertainty. That makes you more qualified than me. Maybe you’ll be the one to lead the worlds to that new peace.”

Eraqus chuckled. “I dunno about that. That seems like kinda a tall order.”

“You’re right. Especially given that you just lost.”

“WHAT?”

Eraqus stared in dismay down at the board, where Xehanort had cornered him.

“And so, as the prophecy stated,” Xehanort said dramatically with gestures of the hand to punctuate, “Darkness prevailed and Light expired!”

That was simply too much. Both boys burst into laughter.

Those were simpler times, when it seemed that the future was a realm of dreams and fairy tales. Before clashing ideologies drove them apart. Before Eraqus was brutally slain and Xehanort at the head of a machination that would span decades.

Before the Keyblade War was won.

* * *

“They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it’s your fate…then every step forward will always be a step closer to home.”

* * *

_The intro video, set to “Face My Fears” by Utada Hikaru and Skrillex, remains nearly identical, save for some small changes. The montage of characters seeing the Door to Light open and walking toward it now includes Kairi and Naminé. The scene of Sora meeting Kairi on the Destiny Islands, transitioning to the Keyblade Graveyard, will at first be restructured to echo the similar scene from Kingdom Hearts 1’s opening cinematic, including having Riku in his KHII garb being lost in the ocean before Kairi is met. Upon the transition, Sora is alone in the Graveyard rather than with Kairi. Donald and Goofy will shield him from the front, and Kairi will join Riku and Mickey to shield him from the second attack._

* * *

Sora was, at first, baffled to find himself in his favorite clothing from when he was fourteen years old. Then he realized he’d done this before: the void around him, the glass beneath his feet that reflected his own reclining image. As usual, the mysterious voice that guided him.

“There are many hearts to save,” it declared.

A mirror rose before Sora, and the reflection in it was somewhat more familiar. Older. Though still behind where he knew himself to be in the reality that lay beyond this station.

Every time, the same dream. Always a harbinger of the great Darkness to come. Would he pass this test?

* * *

_Complete the tutorials for walking, running, and jumping by approaching the mirror. Then examine the mirror with Triangle._

* * *

Sora tentatively approached, raising a hand to his more modern self. The two palms met across glass, but only for a moment. The barrier disappeared, the reflection fading into a great flare of Light.

Sora stumbled forward, to the other side. Now he was the older one, the reflection looking back at him the younger. The mirror remained for but a moment more before dissipating into a shower of glimmers.

From each of those sparks, a new scene revealed in a silver frame: a memory from his life. Memories in a chain…why did that sound so familiar? A mystery he had never truly solved.

They towered to the infinite heights, his memories…so many worlds seen, so many friends made, so many evils thwarted. Each a permanent impression on his heart, shaping him for the better no matter what. Even the darkest of times were learning opportunities.

Three stood out to him, floating to the foreground. Sora, battling the Ansem in Riku’s body, defending Kairi at all cost. Sora, joining forces with King Mickey to seal the door beyond the End of the World. Sora, Donald, and Goofy meeting for the first time, agreeing to travel together.

Above it all, the voice: “What do you desire?”

* * *

_Choose between Balance, Vitality, and Wisdom, which are identical to canon._

* * *

His chosen trait vanished, and his heart swelled. He knew he had made the correct choice.

Then three more memories appeared. His fierce battle with Roxas at the World That Never Was. A fond embracing of the Meow Wow as he collapsed back onto the Kooma Panda in Traverse Town. And…one he did not, actually, remember. The screen portrayed him making a pinky promise to Naminé, but had that ever happened? Was that part of his lost time?

The voice again: “What power do you seek?”

* * *

_Choose between Guardian, Warrior, and Mystic. You will be asked to confirm your choices from both scenarios. In the next scene, your weapon will be that which corresponds to the power you chose: shield for Guardian, sword for Warrior, and staff for Mystic._

* * *

Once he had selected, then every memory vanished, becoming as stars in a vast, dark sky. Then those, too, winked out.

He was standing in water now, ankle-deep, the familiar coolness of the Island’s shallows. A bright light beckoned him to move forward, and eagerly, he approached.

Yet the waves were not at peace. They retreated from his first step, drying the glass, building into a tsunami that threatened to crash down upon him. Nonetheless, he was not deterred. The light was buried at the heart of the great wave, but all of his adventures taught him that the only way to face danger was to strike at its heart. So he barreled into it head-on, feeling the plunge of an entire ocean pressing around him.

Wasn’t there something else he had reached for, in an ocean in a dream, so long ago? Something priceless, he could not afford to lose?

Knocked back head-over-heels, he opened his eyes among the great turquoise abyss to locate the surface. A light pointed the way. He bobbed upward.

Sora’s head broke through the waters into a strange realm – yet a familiar one. He could not name this place, yet he had the oddest sense he had visited it many a time. Once he had reached the surface of the water, he found that he could stand upon it, his feet making little splashes with every pace. The horizon stretched on boundlessly in front of him, at first taking the appearance of a pleasant, cloudy blue sky but then slowly morphing into the spectrum of twilight. Then into a black, starry night, followed by a soft, pastel dawn, which gave way once more to the daytime, and the cycle repeated, ever-peacefully changing.

Peaceful. Until the Heartless appeared.

* * *

_Complete the fighting tutorial using the weapon that corresponds to your choice. Rather than reading the whole manual at once, the game will guide you through each step: first how to land a combo, then how to block/defend, and finally how to lock on._

* * *

No sooner had Sora cleared the area of hostiles than it began to tremble beneath him. At first, he feared falling back into the ocean’s depths. Instead, however, he was greeted by a horrific yet magnificent sight: behind him, a Darkside composed entirely of flowing, undulating water rose to full height. This time, when the sky darkened, it stayed that way, thick clouds rolling in overhead.

* * *

_Defeat the Darkside. To me, this Darkside model seemed smaller in comparison to Sora’s when lined up with the battles from Kingdom Hearts 1, so this Darkside will be larger proportionally to make this battle seem more imposing. The sky color change that I have added is already a development nightmare, but for this battle, the sky backdrop will be storming, with flashes of lightning cutting through an ominous dark._

* * *

As the Darkside was felled, Sora fell as well, finally plunging into the water that refused to remain solid for him any longer. Lightning flashed all the more violently overhead, practically making its own daytime out of the dark.

As Sora plunged deeper and deeper, the flashes above him seeming to be only blurs, the voice asked him one question:

“Are you ready to give all your heart?”

* * *

“Sora?”

“SORA!”

“OW!”

Sora had fallen asleep at the wheel. How could he not? The float through the initial Gummi space was just so…dull. No obstacles, no Heartless. Nothing until he opened up the first road.

So Donald and Goofy had decided to take things into their own hands. Which meant Goofy had politely called out Sora’s name before Donald had screamed it and bonked Sora on the head with his staff.

“What gives?” Sora asked, rubbing at the bump on his scalp.

“You coulda gotten us crashed!” Donald scolded. “Stay awake, will ya?”

“It’s not my fault this first part is so boring!” Sora sighed. “I thought the road would take us right to Olympus, but it looks like we’re still kinda just…floating.”

“Say!” Goofy cried as he pointed out the window up front. “What’s that?”

Things were about to get a lot less boring. Great walls of interdimensional matter divided the road ahead into two distinct passages. One was lined with Greek colonnades, a distinct blue tint to it. The other was dimly lit, a warm red-orange, with clouds making up its borders.

“That way’s GOTTA be the way to Hercules!” Sora pointed enthusiastically down the marble-lined path.

“Gee, what was your first clue?” Donald grumbled.

“Well, all those stone columns helped,” Sora said without a trace of irony.

“Oh, yeah!” Goofy cried. “I see it now, too!”

Donald sighed in exasperation.

“We should go that way!” Goofy declared.

“All right!” Sora placed both hands on the wheel, ready to steer. “Olympus, here we come!”

He jerked on the wheel with all his might.

And the ship turned in the exact opposite direction.

“H-hey!” Sora yelled in shock.

“SORA!” Donald scolded. “QUIT MESSIN’ AROUND!”

“I’M NOT!” Sora cried, quite terrified. “The ship’s moving on its own! I can’t control it!”

Now the ship was maneuvering down the twilit path – slowly at first, but continually building speed.

“Outta my way!” Donald shoved Sora roughly out of the pilot’s seat, settling himself in. “I’ll fix this up!” Once he realized the controls weren’t about to respond to him either, he cried out, “THE SHIP’S OUTTA CONTROL!”

“THAT’S WHAT I SAID!” Sora snapped.

A sudden burst of speed lurched the entire craft, and Sora and Goofy hugged each other for support. The Gummi ship was now blasting off to whatever lay at the end of this corridor, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s screams alike echoed through the space between the worlds.

* * *

The clock tower stood ever-vigilant over Twilight Town, its gears turning slowly yet smoothly, its bells waiting to sound out the next event of import. Here, the sun was in a perpetual state of setting, leaving the town cast in a soft evening glow.

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked down the street to Tram Common, they were nothing short of befuddled. “Twilight Town?” Sora identified. “Why did our ship bring us all the way here?”

“I dunno,” Goofy told him, “but it sure is nice to see some of the old sights again!”

“Yeah,” Sora agreed. “It’s…weird. It almost feels like…coming home. I wonder if maybe that’s ‘cause of Roxas – HEY, the trams are still running!” He barreled toward the nearest tram, a great grin plastered upon his face.

“Why WOULDN’T they be running?” Donald shook his head.

“I dunno,” Sora told him. “It just feels like…like it’s been forever since we’ve actually been here.”

“Maybe that’s Roxas talkin’ to ya, too!” Goofy suggested. “He ain’t been here in a while!”

“Yeah,” Sora realized softly. “He hasn’t.” Then, facing both of his friends directly: “I met him in the Sleeping Worlds. I don’t think I got the chance to tell you that.”

“Well?” Donald asked. “What happened?”

“He said…something about how it had to be me,” Sora replied. “I guess maybe he meant the person who would lead the Seven Lights? I’m not really sure. It’ll probably come to me later.”

“Always does!” Goofy piped up.

“And I’ll have to point out when the answer’s right in front of your face,” Donald grumbled.

“Y’know,” Goofy realized, “we saw Roxas, too! He was in the Datascape!”

“Really?” Sora broke out into a bright smile. “Did he say anything? Did you talk to him?”

“No, YOU did!” Donald snapped. “The data version of you, anyway!”

Sora folded his arms. “I never did think it was fair that the real me never got to go on that adventure.”

“It was just you goin’ over a buncha stuff that already happened, except with Riku!” Donald grumbled.

“So?” Sora countered. “It still woulda been fun!”

“That’s our Sora!” Goofy said with a smile.

Donald sighed. “Anyway, we don’t really know what happened with Roxas. All we know is that the data version of you learned how to carry other people’s hurt.”

“Hurt…right.” Sora closed a hand over his heart. “It’s weird to think about. Hurting is just part of caring. When it hurts, it means your heart is working. But the thought of it still scares me so much. The things that would hurt me the most would be losing you guys, or Riku and Kairi. And then that just makes me think…I’ve been through a lot, but Roxas has had it so much worse. I don’t even think he really got to say goodbye to Ax – to Lea. And now, feeling how much he misses Twilight Town, I just wish he could be here to enjoy this.”

“Well, we’ll just hafta find him an’ bring him back!” Goofy suggested.

“Whaaaaa?” Donald replied. “That’s gonna be impossible!”

“But we do impossible stuff all the time!” Goofy said cheerily.

Sora pointed at himself with a thumb; “‘Impossible’ is practically my middle name!”

“You don’t even have a LAST name!” Donald shrieked.

“SO?” Sora countered.

Their banter was cut short by a trio of screams:

“SOMEBODY HELP US!”

“ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, I GET IT! WE CAN JUST GET ICE CREAM LATER!”

“I DON’T THINK THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE MAD ABOUT!”

Three familiar figures breezed past Sora, Donald, and Goofy. “Hayner?” Sora called out. “Pence? Olette?”

The three teens, identical to how they’d looked when last Sora saw them save for the new plaid-accented outfits and the aura of fear, called out “SORA?” in unison.

“Hi!” Hayner waved with a smile. Then, as a great shadow loomed, his eyes widened and his smile fell. “BYE!”

Sora whipped about to see the source of the calamity. He gasped; this was new. The Heartless were ordinary shadows, but they had mobilized in a way he had never seen before, constructing an airborne wave made up of their wriggling bodies. A swarm, practically a single organism.

“Oh, no!” Sora cried.

“What do we do?” Donald yelled in a panic.

“I say we RUN!” Goofy screamed.

“NO!” Sora argued. “We gotta stop this thing, or else it’s just gonna knock down the whole town and hurt everybody in it!” He called his Kingdom Key to hand.

“But Sora!” Donald reminded him. “You still don’t have all your powers!”

“We still gotta try!” Sora urged. “C’mon!”

“…Y’know what?” Donald realized. “You’re right!” He drew his staff. “Time to be heroes!”

“CHAAAAARGE!” Goofy yelled, his former fear now gone.

* * *

_Fight the Demon Tide. This is a scripted fight that you cannot win. Sora will run out of his low HP almost immediately and be defeated. The defeat screen will look like it is about to roll into a Game Over, but instead will transition to a cutscene._

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were knocked to a sitting position on the cobblestone of Tram Common, watching in horror as the Demon Tide rose to deliver the finishing blow.

“We’re doomed!” Donald cried.

“I wasn’t strong enough,” Sora said weakly, voice cracking.

“I just want ya to know,” Goofy practically sobbed, “if this is it, you were two of the best friends I ever had!”

“I feel the same way about you guys!” Donald bawled. “I dunno what I’d do without you!”

“So do I, and neither do I!” Sora chimed in.

They all embraced each other, flinching in preparation for impact.

The Demon Tide began to descend.

Then, all of a sudden, a burst of fireworks erupted from beneath the mass of squirming evil, blowing out half the swarm. The latter Heartless attempted to keep surging, but a defense force was at the ready. A stream of fire curved toward them from one side of the street; ice did the same from the other.

Sora cracked his eyes open to see a truly majestic sight. Lea was riding the fire while Kairi slid along the ramp of ice she’d created; the two of them launched off their respective elements to strike crossways at the Demon Tide with their Keyblades.

The remaining Heartless were blown away. Kairi and Lea landed neatly on opposite sides of the street.

“Now, how d’ya like them apples?” Lea said cockily.

“LEA!” Sora cried, getting up to rush to his heroes. “KAIRI!”

“Sora!” Kairi turned to grin at him.

Lea walked up next to her; “Someone’s an eager beaver. You’d think we hadn’t seen each other in – hey, wait a minute! WHAT ARE YOU – “

Sora tackled them both in a tight hug, nearly knocking them to the ground in the process.

“Warn a guy, will ya?” Lea laughed as the three embraced.

Sora then backed off; “Hey! You two got new clothes! And you cut your hair, Kairi! Lookin’ good!”

Kairi had exchanged her previous garments for a jaunty pink dress with a knee-length skirt featuring a flaring plaid panel, shorts beneath to prevent any unwanted views during intense battle. Her hair had been trimmed to chin length. Lea, on the other hand, had exchanged his Organization uniform for an ensemble of black leather and plaid.

“Thank you,” Kairi said as she twirled to let Sora, Donald, and Goofy see the whole thing.

“What,” Lea joked, “you think I’d just wear Xemnas’ uniform forever? Dream on.”

“Reunions are all well and good,” a voice huffed from behind the two trainees, “but we’ve got some serious work to do!”

Sora gasped. “MERLIN!” 

The wizard was making his way forward, brushing off his robes. “Really!” he harrumphed. “First I have to divert your ship’s course in order to give you the proper preparations before your journey begins; then I find you nearly decimated by the Heartless?”

Sora pointed accusatorily. “YOU were the one who made our ship go all out of control!”

“Yen Sid had informed me that you’d lost all of your skills!” Merlin replied. “It was only my duty to intercept you and make sure you at the very least knew the basics before throwing yourself into danger! Which it seemed you could not succeed at!”

“So, uh…” Goofy stepped forth. “Whadda we gotta do?”

“We’ve been training down by Sunset Hill,” Lea explained. “Merlin just wanted to give you a few primers before you headed out. Catch you up to us a bit.” He winked.

“Well, at least they’re already ahead of where I am on that front,” Kairi sighed.

Sora tilted his head; “Are your lessons not going well?”

“They’re going quite swimmingly!” Merlin said in a pleased tone. “Kairi is simply…well…to put it politely…”

“Kinda bad at Keyblading,” Kairi said with a shrug.

“Oh, nonsense!” Merlin waved the statement off. “You simply lack the confidence to forge ahead!”

“I’ve never really been able to protect myself, though,” Kairi reminded him. “Every time Sora and Riku have gone on a journey, it starts out with something bad happening to me. I just don’t think I can handle this.”

Lea sighed. “I keep telling you over and over, and you still don’t have it memorized? All you gotta do is believe in yourself! Trust me…at least you’ve got a pure heart on your conscience. You’re not the one here trying to make up for, oh, I don’t know, a couple of murder attempts, a coup d’etat, aiding and abetting Xemnas in multi-world destruction…” He counted them off on his fingers. “Geez, I dunno if I’ll ever feel like that stuff’s in the past.”

“Well, if it’s worth anything,” Sora told them, “I think you’re great at fighting, Kairi. Remember how you helped me back in the World That Never Was? And Lea! You came to save your friends when you really needed to! I know you’re a good person!”

“Well, enough about us!” Lea said hastily. “We still gotta whip you into shape!”

“C’mon!” Kairi had begun to run down the street. “We gotta take the train to get to Sunset Station! It’s a fun ride!”

Merlin smiled after her. “I could quite easily bring you all there instantaneously with a flick of the wand,” he admitted, “but it seems to be constant among all of you that it’s about the journey rather than the destination – which is a wonderful way to view the road ahead!”

As Merlin, Lea, Sora, Donald, and Goofy set out after Kairi, Goofy brought up, “Gee, Donald, I sure was touched to hear you say you didn’t know what you’d do without us.”

“It was the heat of the moment!” Donald argued defensively. “Don’t go taking things I said at a time like that like they’re serious! Of course I could do this without you two!”

“Riiiiiight,” Sora teased.

They shared a laugh as they moved through town.

* * *

Sunset Terrace had fewer frills than the main city, comprised mostly of cozy housing units. Sora realized that he’d never actually seen this part of town before, and he gasped at the smallest of wonders.

Deep inside, a thrumming reminded him that Roxas had known this place intimately.

“So where’re we goin’?” Goofy asked.

“Down into the tunnels!” Merlin proclaimed. “We’ve plenty of room there to do as we please!”

The six walked through an archway that led them into a tunnel network. As Merlin had promised, there was an open arena here, as well as labyrinthine tunnels that branched into other areas that might be suitable for practice.

“So, uhhh…what first?” Sora asked.

“First,” Merlin told him, “we’re going to have a good old-fashioned test of your physical strength! Nothing you shouldn’t be able to handle!”

He drew his wand, waving it with a flourish. Sora couldn’t help but smile as he saw Merlin’s old familiar animated furniture reappear – the table, the chair, the wardrobe.

“Well? Go on, then!” Merlin urged. “They are made of wood, you know! You won’t hurt them!”

Sora summoned his Keyblade. “Okay. Time to show my stuff!”

* * *

_Battle the furniture using the attacks learned in the tutorial._

* * *

“Wonderful!” Merlin cried as the table was splintered. “Good show! Truly excellent! Now, this next task is going to be a little bit more…demanding.”

The objects that appeared were more unique. An icebox, covered in a hard shell. A small stove with a burning range. A miniature windmill, its pinwheel blades standing still. A television that sputtered with static, its antennae twitching. An empty bathtub with a rubber duck perched on its rim. These oddities danced back and forth before Sora expectantly.

“Some foes will require you to be adept in magic, of course!” Merlin explained. “Use the proper spells to dispose of these particular items of interest, and then finish it up by giving yourself a good healing session! Can’t have you getting all banged and bruised up out on the battlefield, you know!”

* * *

_You must use a particular spell on each object to defeat it. Use Fire to melt the icebox’s armor. Use Blizzard to put out the range’s fire. Use Aero to turn the windmill. Use Thunder to power the television. Use Water to fill the bathtub. Once each object has been magically thwarted, a command box will remind you to cast Cure on yourself, which you must do to proceed._

* * *

“Ah, yes!” Merlin congratulated. “This is all going swimmingly! You’re quite adept at going with the flow! …Hmm, flow. Shall we brush up your Flowmotion skills? There’s plenty of opportunity in the tunnels to use them, you know!”

* * *

_Run around the tunnels. Command boxes will alert you to where you can use Flowmotion. You have passed this session once you have skated on a rail, run up a wall, and spun around a pole._

* * *

“Well, you’re certainly a fast learner!” Merlin observed, “We’ll have you back up to snuff in no time! Actually, if I may be so bold, what do you say to a little challenge? Keybearers of old used to be able to conjure up fantastic contraptions of light and mechanics in order to more quickly win battles. These were called ‘Attraction Flows.’ Summoning one is really quite simple. Here; I’ll explain…”

* * *

_After a short black screen to imply Merlin explaining the technique, the scene transitions to Sora surrounded again by furniture. The table at the head of the pack will trigger the Mad Tea Cups. Summon them and ride them around the battlefield to pass. (You don’t need to dispose of every enemy.)_

* * *

“Jolly good!” Merlin applauded. “The wonderful thing about Attraction Flows is that once you’ve learned one, the rest of them just sort of fall into place! You’ll be a master of them before you know it! Hmm…is there anything I’ve left out? Ah, yes! How foolish of me! You can’t expect to go this journey alone, you know! You’ll have to learn how to work in unison with your teammates in order to proceed through difficult obstacles! Why don’t the three of you partake in the next battle together?”

* * *

_Sora, Donald, and Goofy appear on the next battlefield together. Flare Force and Goofy Bombardier will automatically load up. Execute both to complete the session._

* * *

“Well, I think you’ve earned some time to relax!” Merlin declared. “All work and no play makes Sora a dull boy, you know!”

“I’m not dull!” Sora cried, offended.

Kairi giggled. “Same old Sora,” she whispered to Lea.

Lea shook his head. “I’ll never understand how Roxas was the other half of that guy. Not that I’m complaining.”

“We should go explorin’ the rest of Twilight Town!” Goofy suggested.

“Great idea!” Donald agreed. “Maybe we can score some good bargains in the market!”

“Wanna come along?” Sora put out a hand toward Lea and Kairi.

Lea shook his head. “We’re still in training. You get off early ‘cause you’re already an expert; you just needed a few reminders. A trainee’s work isn’t done until they’re either a master or completely pooped.”

“I could use some catch-up work anyway,” Kairi added. “But you probably saw that Hayner, Pence, and Olette are in town! You should go see if you can find them! They’d love to catch up with you!”

“Heh…” Lea scratched the back of his head nervously. “I’m guessing you’ll get a warmer reception than I did. Kinda…forgot that the last time they saw me here was draggin’ Kairi off…”

“Don’t worry.” Kairi beamed at Lea. “I’ll stick up for you.” She nudged him with an elbow.

“We’ll see you guys later!” Sora proclaimed as he headed for the tunnels’ exit. “Good luck with your training!”

Donald and Goofy followed him out of the maze of tunnels, feet slapping on the stone.

“Now, then,” Merlin suggested, “shall we do some more Dodge Roll drills?”

Kairi and Lea, both exhausted from the last time they had executed so many cardiovascular gymnastic feats in a row, gave a simultaneous groan.

* * *

Now that the Demon Tide had been cleared out, Tram Common was bustling with people once more. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, fresh off their train ride back downtown, entered the marketplace with a mission. Sora put a hand level over his eyes to look about.

“Where are they…?” he muttered.

“Over here!” a sudden voice called.

Sora looked in its direction. It took a couple of passes before he saw Hayner waving enthusiastically at him. “HAYNER!” he cried before hurrying toward the blond, Donald and Goofy in tow.

Where there was Hayner, there was Olette and Pence, as per usual. The trio smiled as Sora ran up to them, proclaiming, “It’s been ages!”

“Wha…?” Hayner shrugged. “It hasn’t been that long.”

“It feels like it’s been about fifteen years since I saw you guys!” Sora emphasized.

“Sora, stop being dramatic!” Donald huffed.

“Hey, Donald!” Olette greeted. “How’s it been?”

“As good as it can be traveling around with these two!” Donald said before giving a mischievous laugh.

“So pretty good then,” Olette teased.

“Howdy, Pence!” Goofy greeted.

“Good to see ya, Goofy!” Pence replied. “I’m glad you’re all here. We could use an outside perspective to make sense of the weird stuff going down again.”

“Pence!” Hayner chided. “When have we ever seen a tornado of shadowy blobs before? It’s not ‘weird’! This is underprecedented!”

Without explaining why, Donald simply rolled his eyes and let out a long groan.

“It’s true,” Pence agreed, “even if that’s…not quite the right word for it. We’ve seen Heartless before, but this is the first time they’ve mobilized like that. It’s almost like they’re getting…stronger.”

“And smarter,” Olette chimed in.

Pence smacked a fist into the opposite palm; “Man, I can’t wait to get to sleuthin’!”

“Not another chase around the fake seven wonders,” Hayner groaned.

“Hey, as long as we’re done with our school project, I can’t complain,” Olette said contentedly. She then turned to Sora; “So what do you know about what’s going on?”

“Oh, boy,” Sora sighed. “It’s…complicated. Can I take a rain check on explaining it all?”

“Okay,” Hayner said with a dramatic point to Sora, “but you owe us the whole story sooner or later.”

“Deal!” Sora affirmed. Then: “Oh! I almost forgot! I think Roxas would want me to say hi to you.”

“Roxas?” Olette repeated in confusion.

“That’s funny,” Hayner grunted. “I don’t know any Roxas, but the name sounds familiar.”

“Maybe we bumped into him somewhere,” Pence suggested.

“Uhhh…that’s one way to put it,” Donald replied.

“Actually,” Goofy clarified, “he mighta been friends with another version of ya!” Though, for a clarification, it didn’t really clear things up much.

“I’m…not sure I get it,” Olette admitted.

“Hmm.” Goofy thought it over. “Oh yeah!” He withdrew a small scrap from his pocket. “Here’s a picture of the four of ya hangin’ out and bein’ best buds!”

Hayner took ahold of the photo; Olette and Pence leaned in to get a better look. “This photograph…” Olette said almost reverently.

“Yeah,” Pence commented. “We’ve got the same one.” From his own pocket came a similar photo.

Side-by-side, they were near identical: Hayner, Pence, and Olette smiling in front of the gate of the old mansion as they had their picture taken. However, there was one crucial difference: Goofy’s photo featured a fourth person.

“It’s like one of those spot-the-difference puzzles,” Hayner mused, “except really easy.”

“I think it might be connected to the other Twilight Town,” Pence theorized. “The one made of data. We’ll have to find a way to investigate this.”

“Definitely!” Hayner clenched an enthusiastic fist as he handed the photo back. “We’ll help you track Roxas down! I mean, if he was our friend over there, he’d be our friend in this version of Twilight Town too, right?”

“I’m not sure that makes sense,” Olette admitted.

“Of COURSE it makes sense!” Sora asserted. “Once your hearts are connected, they always share that bond – even if it’s not the same ‘you’ the other person knew!”

“The fact that that DOES make sense to me means I’ve been doin’ this too long,” Donald groaned.

“And besides,” Hayner went on, “anybody who’d be friends with me has gotta be a cool guy.”

“Hayner!” Olette scolded, lightly slapping Hayner’s forearm.

“Yeah.” Sora laughed softly. “He is. Cool, I mean.”

“We should start the detective work as soon as we can,” Pence suggested. “They closed up the passage to the old mansion a while ago. I guess they thought it was dangerous. But we might be able to find a new way to it if we explore the tunnels.”

“We should also ask around,” Olette contributed. “There’s a chance someone else in this town might also have a connection with Roxas.”

“Ohhhh, please don’t let it be Seiferrrr,” Hayner groaned.

“I’ll help out!” Sora volunteered. “Whaddaya want me to do?”

“SORA!” Donald scolded. “We got a mission, remember?”

“Oh, yeah…” Sora shrugged. “Sorry, guys. I’d love to help, but we’ve still got places to be. I’ve got a hero who lost his strength to meet back up with.”

“And we should prob’ly stock up on essentials before we head out,” Goofy stated.

“Go ahead and get your shopping done,” Olette encouraged. “We’ll handle the Roxas front.”

“Teamwork makes the dream work!” Hayner laughed.

“I guess we are a team, aren’t we?” Sora realized. “Even if you aren’t studying the Keyblade, you’re still as much a part of this as the rest of us. Okay!” He gave the trio a thumbs-up. “We’ll leave it to you!”

“Then let’s get a move on!” Hayner encouraged; the three teens moved out.

“Have fun on your adventure, Sora!” Olette called back.

“Always do!” Sora replied.

* * *

_You are now free to explore Twilight Town. Tram Commons is the same as in III canon, with Huey, Dewey, and Louie helping to man shops. You can purchase Gummi blocks, health-restoration items, armor, accessories, and all your needs here. The projector theater will also be running at this time, and Sora will give his canon commentary dialogue upon seeing it, though it will not be explained on this visit. If you attempt to visit Le Grand Bistrot, a cutscene will activate:_

* * *

“Oh, boy, oh, boy!” Donald cried as he raced toward the glass-paneled door of the new establishment. “A fancy restaurant! I’m starving!”

“Uh, Donald?” Goofy called after him. “I don’t think it’s – “

Donald crashed right into the locked door, falling to the ground in a daze.

“…open yet,” Goofy finished.

Sora approached the glass door, reading a cardboard sign inside. “Opening soon.” He gave a shrug. “Guess we’ll just have to check back some other time.”

Meanwhile, Donald muttered inaudible angry syllables to himself as he peeled his body off the cobblestone.

* * *

_You can also explore other areas of Twilight Town. The conduit that leads to the Old Mansion is currently inaccessible. However, you can explore the Sandlot, which features some NPCs dueling with Struggle bats, and take Market Street up to Station Square, where other NPCs will be milling about eating sea-salt ice cream. Because there are now so many areas to be populated with NPCs, there may have to be fewer of them in Tram Common (though this is a hypothetical, so that may not matter). You are unable to visit the Usual Spot, but you can enter Station Square to get a free train ride back to Sunset Terrace. There isn’t much to explore here – just the map from II, without much to examine, and two or three NPCs walking around. However, if you re-enter the tunnels, you can talk to Merlin, Kairi, and Lea to get some flavor text:_

 _Merlin:_ You’ve passed all your tests with flying colors! Now get a move on, I say! The Darkness isn’t going to wait for you to be in the mood for it!

 _Kairi:_ What are you still doing around here, you lazy bums? Don’t you have a job to do? Don’t worry about us; we’ll be fine!

 _Lea:_ If I ever get some down time, I owe all of us an ice cream break. Munny’s on me.

_When you finally choose to leave Twilight Town, a cutscene will trigger._

* * *

“Oh, Sora!” Merlin called out as Sora, Donald, and Goofy approached Market Street, ready to board their ship once more. “I had almost forgotten!”

“Huh?” Sora turned around to see what the wizard wished to say to him.

Merlin brandished a peculiar object in his outstretched hands. “A little gift from a friend,” he stated. “Go on and take it for a spin.”

“A friend?” Sora took up the device into his hands, turning it over. It seemed to be shaped like a square with a crown design, but thick and solid, bearing a screen on one side like a miniature television. “Who is it?”

“Well, I’m not certain he wishes to reveal himself as of yet,” Merlin stated. “He’s afraid there will be trust issues, you see. I am assured, however, that he will give you a call the moment he feels up to the task.”

“A…call?” Sora tilted his head. “Like radioing the Gummi ship?”

“No, no, that’s what the device is for!” Merlin huffed. “You’ll just have to figure it out for yourself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have two trainees who I’m certain have taken advantage of my absence to slip away and eat ice cream when they’re supposed to be on duty!”

With that, he vanished in a cloud of smoke and glitter.

Sora turned the odd device over in his hand. “You guys ever seen anything like this before?”

“Nnnnnope,” Goofy said as he shook his head.

“It looks like something Chip and Dale would make,” Donald observed.

“Guess we’ll figure it out later.” Sora pocketed the object. “Okay. Back on track. Olympus, here we come! And for real this time!”

The setting sun calmly watched the trio set out once more on their grand adventure.

* * *

The castle that dominated the World That Never Was could not have been more different from Hollow Bastion. In her day, Maleficent had outfitted the latter castle to be dark and foreboding. Never Was’ castle was silver-and-white, sterile. That could change, of course, with some time and redecorating.

“Y’know, I think I’m fin’lly gettin’ used to this place!” Pete bragged, laughing so that his belly jiggled. “Good thing those Xehanorts decided they didn’t want it anymore so they could go hang out in a dusty old graveyard!” He gave the Hall of Empty Melodies a good look-around.

“Oy, talk about your lack of taste,” Hades, Lord of the Underworld, griped. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, graveyards are my THING, I’m the lord of the DEAD and all, but there is just no real estate value to that one whatsoever.”

“Glad you could make it, Jafar,” Ursula the sea witch greeted. “I’ve heard your little lamp situation has gotten…errrrr, complicated.” This, with a sly smirk that teased him for the tricky spot he was in.

“Do not remind me of such matters,” the sorcerer-genie Jafar said stiffly. “The boy is distracted for the time being. Let us get this over with quickly before I am summoned once more to his beck and call.”

“So what’s the big plan?” Hades asked. “Give us the spiel!”

Their leader, the dark faery Maleficent, gave a smirk. “I believe you will all be rather pleased with the goal I have in mind. Have you heard tell of the Book of Prophecies?”

“What, you mean that old fishwives’ tale?” Ursula scoffed.

“Oy vey, not more prophecies,” Hades sighed. “Look, I already have one HUGE prophecy on my hands, and if it does not go to PERFECTION on the MINUTE the planets align, we are gonna be down a whole lotta territory.”

“Then our quest shall not impede yours,” Maleficent promised him.

“If you are convinced that the Book of Prophecies does, in fact, exist,” Jafar stated, “why, then it must be real after all!”

“Wasn’t that whole mishegas just some geezer usin’ his eye to spy on the future and read his own diary or somethin’?” Hades asked. “Please. I’m a god. I’m older than the primordial soup. I was there. I know.”

“Ah, you think of the common term,” Maleficent told him. “I know well of the fool’s journals, and contain valuable information though they may, they are unable to change the future through the very act of writing on their pages. No, the Book of Prophecies I seek is something far more powerful. A legend kept carefully guarded by the Keybearers, in hopes that the Dark-hearted such as ourselves would never think to seek it. I have traced that legend through many a world’s past while Xehanort collected his fools throughout time, and in fact, I have discovered the last known location of the Book.”

“And that location iiiiis…drumroll please!” Pete threw out his hands to either side. “SKAYLA AD SEELUM!”

“Ugh…” Maleficent scoffed. “It is Scala ad Caelum, you fool!”

“Uhh, ain’t that what I just said?” Pete replied, scratching his head.

“The nexus of all worlds?” Hades clarified. “Sounds great. Not that I don’t trust ya or anything, but, uh, one teensy-tiny little itty-bitty problem: that world has been sealed away for a LONG time now.”

“Precisely,” Maleficent said with a smirk. “No simple Corridor or portal could transport us to the nexus. We would need to use a more powerful mode of transportation. As powerful as the Door to Darkness.”

“AHA!” Ursula cried. “NOW I get it! You wanna go after the Princesses of Heart again! Oh, this is going to be delicious.”

“Obtaining Jasmine once more should be a simple matter,” Jafar promised. “The princesses shall fall into our clutches all too easily.”

“Do not think it so trivial,” Maleficent warned. “After the Princesses of Heart spent their Light protecting the Door to Darkness from Ansem the Seeker, their powers were used and passed on…that is, the powers of all but one. The young Keybearer still retains her own purity of heart, and all the trappings. Perhaps it is her connection to the Key that has allowed her to remain. As for the other six, however, they are useless to us. Six new lights have been reborn with that purity of heart, and only those six gathered together with the young Keybearer will open the way to the nexus.”

“I see,” Jafar mused. “Then our mission is to collect these maidens.”

“Piece of cake!” Ursula scoffed. “Nothing we can’t handle!”

“I mean, like, c’mon,” Hades agreed, “kidnapping princesses is Villain 101. First page of the handbook.”

“We’re gonna have all those lovely ladies workin’ for us in no time!” Pete declared.

Jafar made a “tch” of annoyance. “If only I weren’t shackled to that beastly brat…”

“Here’s a thought,” Hades suggested. “Maybe you shoulda thought of that before you became a genie. Huh? Huh?”

“How droll,” Jafar seethed. “Ah, and there, on cue, he summons me. I must away, but I assure you, I will do all in my power to make sure our mission succeeds.”

The sorcerer dissipated in a thick cloud of red smoke. That left the rest to plot out their acquisition of the chosen young women.

“So, do we know who the lovely contestants are?” Ursula asked.

“But of course,” Maleficent replied. “It is merely a matter of breaking through the defenses of their worlds of origin.”

“Which, for us, should be no problemo!” Pete laughed.

One by one, the others joined in, though they all knew that without Jafar, their collective laugh was only at fifty percent potency.

* * *

Worlds away, an altogether different sort of sinister council was gathering, for an inverse purpose.

The True Organization XIII of Xehanort had claimed a circle of rocky columns that stood in a mirror of the previous Organization’s vaulted thrones. Here, they stood exposed to the harsh elements of the wasteland of the Keyblade Graveyard, blistering winds bearing fine sand blowing past their skin. A loss of balance would mean a quite frightening fall indeed, given the height of thie pillars.

At present, only a few of these columns were occupied. One of which bore a former traitor to the Organization, rather confused about his own presence there at the moment. The column next to him was occupied by his fellow traitor-in-arms, who seemed equally senseless to recruit.

“So why are you back?” Marluxia asked Larxene.

“Nice way to greet your old partner in crime,” Larxene huffed.

Marluxia gave a rather bemused “Hmph” at this. If nothing else, it was good to have one person in this alliance he could trust with his own untrustworthiness.

“But I don’t get why the old geezer took us back either,” Larxene mused. “He must know we backstabbed the Organization when Xemnas was running it. Not like that’s a high bar for him to clear, anyway…”

“Xehanort doesn’t care about you or me,” Marluxia said sternly. Resentfully. “To him, we’re nothing but empty husks. The old Organization was the same. Xehanort needs thirteen vessels to hold his essence.”

“Husks?” Larxene replied in over-dramatized disgust. “Not me. You up for another coup?”

“Oh, please,” a third voice broke in. “You couldn’t do it last time. You gotta play it smart, like me.”

Larxene whirled sharply to see the interloper; Marluxia tilted his head slightly, inwardly more surprised than his exterior betrayed. There was a third Organization member on the columns, not even meeting the gaze of either he addressed, simply keeping his gaze on the strings of the enormous instrument he plucked at to make the softest of melodies.

Though as soon as he was sure the surprise had sunken in, he did peer up to them to give them a brief salute.

“WHAT?” Larxene yelled at Demyx. “You’re not smart!”

“Well, you heard what Marly said,” Demyx replied (Marluxia bristling at the nickname). “I don’t have to be smart.”

“OR capable,” Larxene barked, “OR likeable, OR attractive! A cereal bowl would make a better vessel!”

“Whoa, now!” Demyx said in mock offense – clearly more amused than anything. “You are way out of line! I am extremely imposing…when I want to be. Which is, admittedly, almost never.” He had paused his strumming to continue this conversation, but returned to it then, demonstrating how little he thought of Larxene’s tirades or Marluxia’s derision.

“Why haven’t you gone to any worlds?” Larxene accused. “Are you slacking?”

“What do you think?” Demyx replied teasingly.

“I think you would never lift a finger if it wasn’t absolutely necessary,” Marluxia sighed. “Though, then again, I’m not sure you would lift one if it was.”

“See, this is just a sign that we’ve been working together too long,” Demyx pointed out. “Anyway, it’s all about being that empty husk anyway. So long as I’m physically present to stick a heart in, who cares if I do anything?”

“It seems you’ve done our job half of the way for us,” Marluxia told him. “Were we to stage another mutiny, you would have to be the first to go. However, with that attitude, Xehanort will surely dispose of you before we get the chance.”

“Har-dee-har,” Demyx mocked. “Like he has a replacement on board.”

“I have heard whispers of replicas,” Marluxia revealed.

“Replicas?” Larxene repeated. “Those wind-up toys?”

“From what I heard tell,” Marluxia went on, “they were no mere puppets in the end. The Riku Replica we used in Castle Oblivion was just a prototype. The next replica, the one crafted from Sora’s memories, was real enough to join our ranks.”

“Wait,” Larxene broke in. “Why are you literally the first person I’ve ever heard talking about this? I could buy that they brought in a new recruit or two after we bit the dust, but from all accounts, that’s not what happened.”

“That’s because it’s NOT what happened,” Demyx asserted. “It’s always just been thirteen. When you two bit it, we left your seats empty. It was nice not having to listen to you sass me every two seconds, which I see I now have to learn to deal with again. Great.”

Marluxia gave another light “hmph” of amusement. “Of course that’s what you remember. But that was the point of Castle Oblivion. Memory is not to be trusted.”

“So you’re saying I just FORGOT a fourteenth person,” Demyx said skeptically.

“By design,” Marluxia affirmed.

“If this replica really did exist, and then was erased from everyone’s memories, or whatever nonsense you’re talking about,” Larxene prodded, “then how do YOU know about it?”

“It pays to keep to the shadows and listen well,” Marluxia stated. “Xehanort and his incarnations truly have forgotten how well I was able to circumvent him.”

“Then tell me this, Mr. Know-It-All,” Larxene asked. “If Xehanort wants to use replicas, how are we gonna get new replicas without Vexen?”

Marluxia smirked. “Now, that’s where things get interesting.”

The center pillar flared with the beginnings of a Dark Corridor that cut off Marluxia’s explanation. “Ah,” Xemnas greeted as the Corridor flared away to reveal his form, “my former subordinates…or, should I say my subordinates yet again?”

“Ugh, Xemnas,” Larxene spat.

“What a glorious reunion,” Xemnas stated. “Perhaps this time, we can learn from the errors of the past and proceed to a future in which our goals align rather than oppose.”

“Yeah, totally,” Demyx said casually, returning to the task of composing freestyle.

Larxene pointed toward Demyx, asking Xemnas pointedly, “Why is this thing a member again?”

“Hey, now!” Demyx snapped. “Pointing is rude!”

“The first six members of the original Organization were all apprentices to Ansem the Wise,” Xemnas related, “and the seventh and eighth members joined thereafter. The thirteenth member was Roxas, a Keyblade wielder. And beyond that…it would not do any good to remind you of what you cannot remember.”

Larxene turned and gaped at Marluxia, amazed that his strange story seemed to have been given weight.

“So, what about you?” Xemnas asked. “How do you suppose I chose numbers nine through twelve?”

“Because our hearts are über powerful,” Larxene suggested.

“Indeeeeed,” Xemnas confirmed, and upon his statement of the word, Larxene, Marluxia, and Demyx all exchanged a particular glance, a reminder of days past. Perhaps the only thing that had united the three of them at once: the absolute absurdity of Xemnas’ verbal tics. “Your hearts were not lost through failed experiment, nor through a grand machination. You are the only four Nobodies we have ever met who have retained as high of a degree of consciousness and sentience as you have without any action on the part of my true self or any of his branches. Throughout hundreds and thousands of worlds, only four who contained the drive to throw themselves into the Darkness wholeheartedly, and the strength to remain – “

“Can you just get to the point already?” Demyx groaned.

Xemnas shot him a glare that made him shut up quickly. Not that Xemnas would lift a finger either if not required to. “You are perhaps the purest sort of Nobody. The elite. Therefore, your power was required for a certain purpose of ours.”

“What?” a fifth voice chimed in. “So that we can rot away on the bottom rung?”

Darkness curled into a bud on the column beside Demyx; it erupted to reveal a very smug Luxord.

Larxene gave a great, audible sigh. “You’re in, too? What is this? Organization Rehash?”

“I happen to play an important role,” Luxord stated. “One I am actually qualified to fulfill, unlike others I could mention.” This, while looking directly at Demyx. “Others who come in second to a cereal bowl if given comparison.”

“You were listening? So not cool,” Demyx grumbled.

“One must hold one’s cards as long as necessary.” Coming from Luxord, that almost sounded like a threat.

“So what is this ‘important role’?” Larxene snapped. “What stupid reason could’ve convinced Xemnas that all four of us needed to work together again? Even he’s not dumb enough to think that’ll work out any better than last time.”

“While I don’t agree with the framing,” Luxord stated, “the core sentiment is perhaps the burning question of the hour. Xemnas, what is our purpose? You didn’t invite us back for old times’ sake.”

“You four are going to use your knowledge of the worlds and the Darknesses that course through them to reveal to us an ancient Keyblade legacy,” Xemnas explained. “You are aware of the ancient Keyblade War?”

“What, you mean when everyone went bananas and tried to kill each other, and the worlds split?” Larxene posed.

“While that is not the most elegant of ways to put it,” Xemnas told her, “it is indeed the truth.”

“We’re well aware of that war and all it entails,” Luxord replied. “It is in fact the template we are reenacting. If that were our only purpose, however, you would have let us assume as much.”

“You underestimate Xemnas,” Marluxia broke in. “He does so love to hear the sound of his own voice, even repeating what we already know.”

“In the Age of Fairy Tales,” Xemnas kept going, choosing to ignore the insubordination taking place around him, “all were in the thrall of a Master of Masters: an overlord of all Keybearers. However, the records we have gathered of those days past are incomplete. The Master of Masters vanished without explanation. All that is known is that he assigned his most unassuming apprentice the task of carrying with him a single black box. Inside of that black box is…our hope. We seek to find it. As we count down the days until that war is waged again in this fated place, you are to spend your time searching for this box.”

“Now, hang on just a minute!” Demyx broke in. “What records? Even I know nothing survived those days!”

“Xehanort has his ways of obtaining information, of course,” Xemnas said rather slyly. “Of course those so lowly as you would not know.”

“Lowly?” Larxene flinched. “Just a minute ago, you were telling us how important we were!”

“In some respects,” Xemnas clarified.

“So…we’re going to be schlepping around all these different worlds looking for a box,” Demyx realized. “Just…a black box. That’s all we have to go on.”

“A task you will surely complete without complaints,” Xemnas stated, “lest you wish us to engineer replacements for those who do not comply.”

“Awww, maaaaan!” Demyx groaned. “I gotta do actual work now!”

“I am curious,” Marluxia stated. “What, precisely, is the nature of this ‘hope’ we seek?”

“That,” Xemnas told him, “is for Xehanort and only Xehanort to know.”

With that, he promptly vanished into the Darkness.

“Did you truly expect an honest answer?” Luxord asked Marluxia.

“What I expected was an indicator of the severity of the situation,” Marluxia replied, “which I now possess.”

“Well, this is going to be sooooo much fun,” Larxene groaned.

“Speak for yourself!” Demyx snapped. “I’ve got nothing to go on for this whole box thing!”

Larxene rolled her eyes as her sarcasm went over Demyx’s head. “Case. In. Point.”


	2. Olympus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...the inspiration for this fic has been fickle. I do have the order of events all mapped out, but as an author, I find I must follow my muse as it speaks to me, and after posting the first chapter, I already felt like I'd hit burnout. Still, I didn't give up, and wouldn't you know it, inspiration finally struck again today! Thank you for being patient with this fic - I can't promise frequent updates, or even that I will finish it, but rest assured, I do have the ending in mind, and should it reach its conclusion, I hope we can all have some fun together on the way.
> 
> For this chapter, while the general order of events will be the same, the dialogue here will be altered.

_Before the Gummi ship takes off, you see text boxes from the ship’s occupants, potentially voiced:_

_Donald:_ All right! Let’s go!

 _Sora:_ Hercules, here we come!

_The Gummi path to Olympus is bright in tone, whites and grays. It is lined with Greek-style columns. Non-Heartless obstacles come in the form of columns placed in the midst of the path, as well as floating chunks of what appear to be enormous broken statues – arms, feet, faces of stone. Standard Heartless ships attack here; there is no Gummi miniboss._

* * *

Sora gaped in awe at the mountain that rose around him where he had landed. Donald and Goofy caught up at the base of the stone monolith, just as curious. They’d never been to this particular part of this world before. Perhaps for good reason – after all, it was hardly ever that a mortal was heard of on Mount Olympus.

To express his confusion with the change of scenery, Sora shrugged and asked, “No fanfare?” He mimed holding a trumpet, giving a “Doot!” to punctuate his point.

Donald tilted to one way and the other, cupping a hand behind each ear-hole, to listen for the cheering crowds that usually accompanied the Coliseum. “Uh-uh!” he realized.

Sora shrugged. “Oh, well. This must be somewhere new!”

Goofy stepped out front of them to survey the landscape behind the rising mountain. “Looks like we missed the Coliseum!” he observed.

“What was your first clue?” Donald grumbled under his breath. He then rounded on Sora; “Sora! YOU were the one who opened the gate!”

“Hey, aren’t you always the one who takes over when you think I’m not driving right?” Sora countered. “How come you didn’t fix it if you knew we were going the wrong way?”

“It’s not MY job to make sure you drive the ship to the right place!”

“Aw, gawrsh, not again…” Goofy muttered.

“…Y’know what? It doesn’t matter,” Sora decided once he saw Goofy slump. “We came here to find Hercules. I wonder…maybe we ended up at this mountain for a reason. Could be that Hercules is up there today! I mean, he can’t spend ALL his time in the Coliseum, right? I say we go up!”

“All the way?” Donald sighed.

Sora swung a fist; “All the way up!”

“Never hurts to have your head in the clouds!” Goofy agreed.

“Exactly!” Sora concurred.

Goofy gave a chuckle at this, muffled by his hands; Donald gave a sigh and a shrug.

Sora began to walk, and the others to follow, only for Donald to notice that Sora didn’t seem quite so energetic as usual. In fact, the boy’s face was set in quite a stern frown.

“All right,” Donald asked, “what’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Sora sighed. “Back in Twilight Town, we got our butts kicked by something that would normally be easy for us to handle. And it’s all my fault. I walked right into Xehanort’s trap, and now I’m…basically useless.”

“Awh…” Donald rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “It’s not all your fault, Sora. I guess I got rusty after not practicin’ magic so long.”

“Gawrsh, I don’t think I did the best either,” Goofy chimed in mournfully. “If hadn’t’a been silly when I shoulda been wacky, then I coulda taken out all those Heartless for ya!” He brightened then; “But isn’t that what our trainin’ with Merlin was for?”  
“I know the basics,” Sora affirmed. “But those can only go so far. I can defend us from rogue furniture, but a Heartless? The kind of BIG Heartless we usually face? I just feel like I can’t handle it anymore.” He brought up a clenched fist. “I gotta find Hercules as fast as I can! The only way I can be useful to you guys again is if I get all my powers back right away, and the only way I can help the Seven Lights is to gain the Power of Waking A-S-A-P!”

“But Sora,” Goofy replied somberly, “we don’t care if you’re useful. That’s not what friendship’s about. We like ya because ya make us smile an’ laugh!”

“I’m used to picking up the slack for Goofy anyway,” Donald added. “But I’m sure there’re ways you can help out without the Power of Waking! Who needs some dumb old spell anyway? You can do all sorts of cool stuff!”

“It’s not a dumb spell when Yen Sid’s old friends are counting on me,” Sora stated. “Terra…Ven…Aqua…I gotta help them.”

“But King Mickey – “ Goofy began.

“And Riku – “ Donald added.

“I know,” Sora sighed. “But I can’t count on them forever. I know I can always trust them, but I can’t expect them to do my work for me. That’s why I need to make up for lost time. We should hurry.”

Donald and Goofy let Sora outpace them by three steps, then exchanged worried glances. This somber Sora was not the one they were used to, but there seemed to be no changing his mind at present.

* * *

_Proceed up Mount Olympus, battling the Heartless that appear._

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrived at a great precipice, high above the landscape below. Here, they had a bright, unobstructed view of the world that spread out before them for miles and miles, the architecture of city-states cropping up in the distance.

“Whoa,” Sora gasped. “I never really did think about how big this world was whenever we were in the Coliseum. It’s like we can see everything. Herc’s gotta be out there somewhere!”

Then, before either Donald or Goofy could inform him that there was no way Hercules could hear him, he strode toward the edge, cupping his mouth in his hands to yell, “HEY, HERCULES! WHERE ARE YOU?”

* * *

TITLE CARD: OLYMPUS

* * *

No response, of course.

Then a sleek black meteor of ever-shifting smoke, descending at a relaxed but focused trajectory until it landed casually behind Sora. The smoke curled up into a great wall, giving a light “puff” sound that caught Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s attention. The trio turned about to see the gathering dark behind them with a “Whoa!”.

However, the sound of the ranting coming from within the smoke was so loud, no one could possibly miss it: “All right! I know I dotted my iotas, crossed my taus, zeroed the hero. So what gives? Who could possibly be trying to give me a migraine by yodeling that yutz’s name?”

His eyes flicked onto the culprit. And both he and Sora simply gave exasperated sighs upon seeing each other.

“Really?” Sora groaned. “Hades?”

“Oh, it’s just you,” Hades sighed. “Oy vey.”

“It’s ‘just us’?” Sora put his hands on his waist, leaning forward slightly. “Even for you, that’s cold.”

“Don’t forge-et!” Hades said, quite singsong, as he approached Sora to loom over him. Suddenly pointing directly at the boy’s face, he reminded him, “I can always TURN UP THE HEAT!”

“Wait,” Goofy realized. “If Hades is here, then where’s Herc?”

Hades was in his face before he knew it; “WHAT IS EVERYONE’S INFATUATION WITH THAT DOLT?”

He blazed red as an iron in the fire, his flames rising higher…momentarily. Then, with surprising grace for Hades, he cooled back down, rising to turn away from the nuisances. “You know what?” he muttered. “Never mind. Never mind! I’m cool. I’m good. Becaaauuuse Wonderboy’ll be outta my flames soon enough.”

“So you’re up to no good again!” This was incentive enough for Sora to draw his Keyblade, bending into a fighting stance, and Donald and Goofy to follow suit with their own weapons.

“Of course he is!” Goofy asserted.

“You bet!” Donald agreed.

“Whoooaa, easy!” Hades turned about, raising his hands in a calming gesture. “What is this, Sparta? Kind of on a schedule. Don’t have time to toss around the old fire and brimstone.” He waved at Sora to indicate he should simply shoo. As he turned his back on the trio yet again, he went on; “The whole cosmos is basically waiting for me to, you know, conquer it!”

Sora dismissed his Keyblade, standing tall. As small as he’d felt recently, he’d seen Hades fail enough times to know how this went. “Poor Hades,” he mocked. “He thinks he can actually pull it off this time.”

Donald and Goofy lay their weapons aside as well, giving short chuckles.

Hades leaned back, his gaze on the mountain’s summit. His arms spread out wide in a gesture of invitation. “WHERE ARE MY TITANS?” he bellowed. “SHOW ME YOUR POWER!”

When the skies overhead darkened and the earth shook, Sora, Donald, and Goofy began to think that perhaps they shouldn’t have underestimated Hades.

An immense shadow loomed. In a panic, Goofy covered his head; Donald hid behind Sora. Then a blast of icy winter air threatened to carry them directly off the mountain’s edge and freeze their bones to absolute zero at the same time, forcing them to brace their feet and lean forward with all their might.

A bright red glow in their periphery informed them that a waterfall of magma was also now cascading toward them, as if a volcanic eruption had occurred nearby. Flames wafted off it like solar winds, and intermingled with the ice that played around Hades’ form.

“Ahhh!” the god sighed. “Love the breeze!”

Now the ice gave way to the heat, like the worst of Agrabah’s summer days on the dunes, and the wind picked up all the stronger. Then, it was simply too much to handle, throwing all three heroes right off the mountain with a chorus of screams.

They were launched off onto the horizon, and Hades was all too entertained to see them fly. Once the threat was neutralized, Hades’ secret weapons calmed down; the winds died off completely while the temperature mellowed out.

Hades put his fingers to his chin, quite satisfied. “Ahh,” he remarked, “that sent ‘em sailing!” But the more he thought on it, the more he realized something didn’t quite sit well with him. “Sailing right to where I left…”

But he wasn’t about to let that little hitch stop him. After all, what even were the odds? “Eh! No biggie.”

He turned and began to walk back toward the mountain pathway. “NICE WORK, BOYS!” he called up to the looming shadows. “SO! BACK TO THE WHOLE COSMIC COUP THING?”

There was a rumble of assent; the shadows lumbered away, shaking the ground with their movements.

That was when the Corridor opened behind Hades, its sound unmistakable.

“Ugh,” he sighed. “Really? Are you kidding? Geez, Louise…seriously, when it rains, it pours.” He began to turn slowly. “Okay? Who’s the new pest?”

“Hey now!” Demyx snapped as his portal sealed behind him. “That is seriously rude! Tch…it’s bad enough that I have to do this stupid job without getting dissed by randos.”

Hades’ brow furrowed. “…Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”

Demyx suddenly realized he recognized this god, even if the god didn’t recognize him. He cringed backward, his arms drawing in close to his chest. “No, you haven’t!” he said hurriedly.

“Really? Because I could swear I know you from somewhere.”

“Maybe I just have one of those…generic faces!”

“Did I run into you in the agora?” Hades guessed. “No, wait, I think you were in line behind me at Euripedes’ parchment-signing. No, that’s not it…” Hades suddenly snapped his fingers; “I’VE GOT IT!”

“WHA?” Demyx prepared to bolt.

Hades pointed at him, grinning; “YOU were that guy who tried to bargain with me for his wife’s soul and put Cerberus to sleep with that lullaby! And just so we’re all on the same page here, I WARNED you what would happen. You just couldn’t follow directions, could you?”

“Uhhh…yeah! That was totally me!” Demyx improvised. “That was, uhh…that was sooooo sad. But I’m over her now. You just gotta move forward and not look back!”

“Now, if you’d had THAT mindset when you were trying to walk out with her, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Hades replied.

“I’m actually looking for something else this time,” Demyx brought up. Sure, he was playing with fire, but he didn’t have much to go on here. Surely a god would know what he was talking about, right? “You seen a black box around?”

“Black box,” Hades muttered. “Black box, black box…oh! You must be lookin’ for the one Zeus stashed on Earth.”

“Mmmmmaybe?” Demyx replied. “Actually, uh, yeah, that sounds like the one! So…where did he hide that thing again?”

“In Thebes, corner of Solomos Street and Xenopoulos Avenue,” Hades stated. “Right in the yard of the D.H.D.V. – Department of Horse-Drawn Vehicles. Nobody, NOBODY would ever go near that place if they didn’t absolutely have to. Geez Louise, I’ve seen people get more fired up about seeing ME than renewing their license.”

“Good to know!” Demyx said as he backed away. “Anyway, I gotta dance off, so – “

“Wait a minute.” Hades’ mouth screwed into a frown. “Say that again.”

“Good…to know?”

“No. That other part.”

“I…gotta…dance?”

“Dance,” Hades repeated, storming toward Demyx. “As in DANCE, WATER, DANCE?” His skin blazed a bright orange as his hair flared red.

“Uh-oh,” Demyx muttered.

“YOU WERE THE ONE,” Hades growled, “WHO BROKE INTO MY UNDERWORLD TWICE, STOLE THE OLYMPUS STONE, AND MADE! ME! ANGRYYYYY!”

“Ohhh, no, not again!” Demyx moaned.

From far off the mountain, some roaming shepherds could see the eruption of flame into the air, accompanied by the far-reaching echoes of the scream of “RUN, RUN AWAY!”.

* * *

Dark clouds cast shadows over the city of Thebes, reflecting the somber situation of the city-state. Taking a rest from his arduous task, Hercules brushed off his hands, letting out a “Phew.”

The sound of a rather familiar trio of screams interrupted his reverie. Screams headed on a downward trajectory toward him, at that.

When Hercules turned to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy rocketing toward him like a trio of meteorites, he didn’t waste a second. He bent his knees and sprang, his godly strength propelling him into the air to intercept his wayward friends before they could make a painful landing.

Well, two of them, anyway.

As Hercules landed, Sora in one arm and Goofy in the other, Sora remarked, “We found him!”

“Sure did!” Goofy agreed.

“GET ME DOWN!” Donald raged from above, where he’d been caught on the tooth of a golden lion statue, throwing a veritable tantrum.

“Just a second!” Hercules called up to the duck rather sheepishly.

Once all were on the ground, Sora smiled brightly; “It’s so great to see you again!” He put out his hand, and Hercules seized it: their customary greeting.

“So how’s it been for you not-so-Junior-Heroes?” Hercules asked teasingly.

“Uhm…not the best,” Sora admitted. “We, uh…we kinda need your help with something. See, a few things happened, and I – “

Goofy had turned to give the city a good look as Sora began to explain, and immediately cut the boy off; “WHOA! WHAT HAPPENED HERE?”

“Huh?” Sora turned to see the apocalypse upon him. Thebes was on fire, its colonnades crumbling. “WHOA! HOW’D EVERYTHING GET ON FIRE?”

Donald chimed in with a “WAK?”

Hercules gave a heavy sigh. “Take a guess. Starts with an H.”

Sora scowled. “Of course it’s him. Actually, we bumped into the H-ster on the way here.”

“Scheming as usual,” Donald grumbled.

“He said somethin’ about takin’ over the whole cosmos,” Goofy pointed out.

“All of it, huh?” Hercules repeated. “Nice of him to show a little self-restraint.”

“So what’s the plan?” Sora asked. “Send him running back across the Styx?”

“Well, that is where I’d like this to end up,” Hercules stated. “Unfortunately, he set up a pretty good distraction to keep me from going after him. And it’s working. With the city like this, I can’t possibly abandon these people to go chasing Hades.”

“But he’s going to go after Mount Olympus!” Sora argued. “I think, anyway. But if that’s true, then all these people will get hurt no matter what!”

“I know,” Hercules said somberly. “The thing about being a hero is that you gotta make tough decisions, sometimes. But if I let Thebes burn down – my home, my people – while I was trying to save the world, then I could never live with myself.”

“We’ll just hafta work together to get both done!” Goofy resolved, pounding a fist down into his other palm.

Sora nodded. “You can count on us.”

“Thanks, Sora,” Hercules said with a smile. “I appreciate it.”

“So,” Sora asked, “where do we start?”

* * *

_Proceed into Olympus. A tutorial screen will teach you about Save Points and Moogle Shops. Reach the center of the Agora to trigger the next cutscene._

* * *

“So,” Hercules brought up as the quartet walked, “what was that thing you needed my help with?”

Sora gave a sigh. “I…I lost all my powers. All my strength. Xehanort did something to me, and now I can barely use magic, or fight the way I used to.”

“Oh,” Hercules realized. “I’m so sorry, Sora.”

“Do you remember the last time we were together?” Sora asked. “When you lost all of your strength, and you were feeling so down and out?”

“Uhhh…Sora?” Upon noticing several fireballs rocketing down into the agora, Donald tugged on Sora’s sleeve.

“Of course,” Hercules replied.

“And then you jumped into the Styx to save Meg,” Sora went on, “but by the time you came back, you had your strength again.”

“Uh, Sora?” Goofy tapped him on the shoulder. “Ain’t sure now’s the time…”

The fireballs had uncurled into Heartless that swarmed the marketplace.

“What happened?” Sora asked him. “How’d it all come back? Do you think it could work for me?”

“Well, it’s a pretty simple answer, actually,” Hercules informed Sora. “I’m not sure it’s exactly what you’re looking for, but – “

“SHUT UP AND FOCUS ON THE HEARTLESS!” Donald screeched, drawing the two heroes’ attention to the approaching horde.

“We’ll talk later!” Hercules said as he turned to face the creatures.

“But – “ Sora tried to argue. “…Okay. Later.”

* * *

_Hercules joins the party, allowing you to use the Team Attack “Heroic Swing.” Battle the minor Heartless in the agora until they are cleared._

* * *

“HERCULES!” a cry rang out.

Pegasus swooped down from above, Megara on his back. “You’re okay!” she cried as she dismounted, hurrying toward her love.

“Meg!” Hercules responded, rushing to meet her.

Meg surveyed her surroundings. “Boy. That was definitely no Bacchanal.”

“No kidding,” Hercules replied. “Luckily, a few friends showed up.”

“Hi, Meg!” Sora waved to her excitedly.

“Well, whaddaya know?” Meg said with a smirk. “Guess miracles even happen to gods. This just got a whole lot easier with the three of you on board.”

“You know I’ve got this under control!” Donald bragged.

“’M doin’ my best!” Goofy chimed in.

“We’ll search the city on foot and repair the damage we find,” Hercules stated. “Could you keep on sky patrol?”

“I’ll let you know soon as the last fire’s out,” Meg promised.

She boarded Pegasus once more, and Hercules gave the winged horse a scratch on the mane while telling him, “You gotta keep her safe.”

“What, you don’t think I can handle myself?” Meg teased.

“Oh, I know you can,” Hercules told her. “That doesn’t mean I can’t worry.”

Meg chuckled. “Catch you on the fly.”

As Pegasus ascended, Sora remarked, “You know…it’s kinda funny. That’s how I always feel about my friends. They’re all really strong and capable, but I still wanna protect them from harm. Even you, Hercules.”

Hercules laughed. “Don’t ever worry about me, Sora. I’ll take care of myself. You just worry about – “

A shrill cry of “HEEEEELP! SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEE!” echoed across the agora.

“Look over there!” Goofy pointed to where a young blonde girl in a pink chiton had been driven to the summit of a pile of rubble due to the rising flames.

“That little girl’s caught in the fire!” Donald gasped.

“DON’T WORRY!” Sora began to take off in that direction. “WE’LL SAVE YOU!”

A thick hand lay on his shoulder. “You’ll never get there in time!” Hercules warned.

“But how else – “ Sora began.

Hercules pointed to a felled statue; “Get on top of that!”

“This better not be going where I think it’s going,” Donald muttered as he, Sora, and Goofy clambered up to ride the monument.

Hercules positioned himself beneath the statue, hoisting it high.

“This is EXACTLY where I think it’s going, isn’t it?” Donald groaned.

As Hercules launched the statue into the sky, Donald shrieked, “NOT AGAA-AAA-AAAIIIIIN!”

* * *

As the small girl found herself on terra firma, she told Sora very politely, “Thank you for saving me!”

“Anytime!” Sora saluted. “But you’d better stay safe! Your friends and family are probably worried about you!” 

“I saw which way my mom went,” the girl stated. “I can find her now! Thanks again!”

As she took off, Donald grumbled, “We had to fly all the way over here on an unstable statue and all we get is a thank-you?”

“Donald!” Goofy chided. “You know it’s not about what ya get from it!”

“Right!” Sora agreed. “It’s about helping others! Hercules could tell you that! …Hercules? Oh, no! We left him behind, and I still don’t know how he got his strength back!”

Goofy couldn’t help but feel a dissonance between those statements. “Hmm. Sora, don’t ya think – “

Before he could finish voicing his opinion, a Dark Corridor opened, and from it strode one elegant figure followed by a larger, lumbering one: two people Sora had hoped to see least of all in the midst of this destruction.

“My, my,” Maleficent remarked. “What a wonderful conflagration.”

“These wimps ain’t gonna last five minutes, with this city all bar-bee-cue!” Pete laughed, his whole body shaking with malicious mirth.

“It seems Hades’ errand may be more of an entertaining prospect than originally thought,” Maleficent said rather mischievously.

“MALEFICENT!” Sora gasped.

“Only bad guys like you would find this kinda senseless destruction entertainin’!” Goofy accused.

Maleficent pretended to be shocked at the sight of the three heroes. “Senseless? You misunderstand. This violence shall lead to a power that will benefit all of my associates. Do you not understand, having gone to such lengths for your own friends? When Hades acquires Olympus, it will be divided among me and mine. Would you not do the same?”

“I wouldn’t take over a whole world!” Sora argued, throwing out a hand dramatically. “And my friends wouldn’t want any part of that!”

“Is that true?” Maleficent cocked an eyebrow. “What of Riku? Or have you already forgotten?”

Sora clenched his teeth, letting out a low, defensive growl.

“Sora…” Donald warned.

But Sora’s Keyblade was already in hand. “YOU SHUT UP ABOUT RIKU!”

He leapt at Maleficent, blade held high. He had planned to engage her in battle in the first place, for the sake of Thebes, but her words about Riku were a bridge too far to take this calmly. Sora descended upon Maleficent in a fury, swinging down his blade, roaring an “AAAAAA – “

Maleficent merely put out a hand, and a cyclone of Dark energy whirled forth, blasting Sora back, back, back to collide with the nearest wall.

“HEHHHHH-HEH-HEH-HEHHHHH!” Pete laughed. “Just as we suspected, ain’t it? The little pipsqueak’s gone and lost all his powers!”

“HEY!” Donald cried. “YOU SET THAT UP ON PURPOSE!”

“That’s just the kinda nasty bullyin’ trick you’d pull!” Goofy asserted.

“It’s not my fault your little pally-wally’s so easy to rile up!” Pete chuckled. “But this is good news for us, all right! Now we don’t gotta worry about you gettin’ in our way no more!”

“Our assessment is complete.” Maleficent turned, forming a Corridor through which to exit. “The boy and his friends pose no threat. We may rest easy while Hades completes his machinations. Then, it is on to our own.”

She took her leave, Pete trotting eagerly after.

“SORA!” Goofy cried as he and Donald hurried over to where the boy had fallen to his knees on the stones, forcing himself to stand. “Are ya okay?”

“Yeah…” Sora sighed, though he didn’t sound at all convincing. “I’m fine.”

“Donald!” Goofy chided. “Ya shoulda healed him!”

“He’s fine!” Donald argued. “That’s not bad enough for a healing!”

That got Sora to crack an ironic smile. “Guess some things don’t change.”

“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?” Donald yelled.

“You NEVER heal me when I need it!” Sora said indignantly, hands on hips.

Goofy chuckled. “Good ta see yer doin’ okay after all that. …Ya didn’t let what those two said get to ya, did ya? They’re just a pair of big ol’ bullies, an’ you know it!”

“Yeah…” Sora sighed. “Big old bullies. Who I used to have no problem beating. And now they don’t even think I’m anything to worry about. I really am useless. What if…that’s how it is now? What if I’m never like my old self again?”

“Aww, we’ll still like ya!” Goofy said with a grin.

“But that won’t matter,” Sora told him, dispelling the kooky smile from the knight’s face. “I’m supposed to be saving the worlds. If I’m not strong enough to do that…” He shook his head. “I gotta find Hercules and ask him how he got his strength back! It’s really an emergency now!”

* * *

_Proceed down the Overlook, where the Fiery Globe Heartless will rocket into the square and commence a mob fight. The battle will leave the street ahead in flames._

* * *

Sora gingerly approached the fiery road ahead, extending a hand. He quickly withdrew it with an “OUCH!”

Keyblade drawn, he attempted to cast a Blizzard spell, only for the thinnest mist of ice to instantly evaporate in the inferno. “Come on,” he muttered as he tried again and again, “come onnnnnn…” With a sigh, he lowered the Keyblade. “It’s no use. If I had all my powers, I could freeze us a way through. But now we’re trapped.”

“Now what’re we gonna do?” Donald asked.

“Hmm.” Goofy, having watched the flames for a while, was inspired to try something. He approached, holding out his shield gingerly; the flames deflected from its rounded surface. “Fellas!” he cried. “Maybe we don’t need fancy powers so long as we got teamwork! I just got a crazy idea!”

Sora gasped; “The shield!”

“That is crazy!” Donald chided. “So crazy, it might actually work!”

* * *

_Use Trinity Sled to cross the field of flame. Continue through Thebes. At one point, a meteor will strike a nearby temple, destroying it and prompting this dialogue:_

_Donald:_ The building!

 _Goofy:_ Gawrsh, I hope they’ve got insurance!

_Proceed to the Gardens. Here, as per canon, there are side fields where you can take out Heartless mobs to save NPCs and receive items from them._

* * *

From atop the column in the gardens, the redheaded woman in the blue peplos groaned, watching the Heartless amass around her hiding spot.

“Okay, so not to be a total damsel in distress,” she groaned, “but a rescue might be nice any day now!”

On cue, Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrived. “Don’t worry, Miss!” Goofy called up to her. “We gotcha!”

“We’ll put these hotheads out!” Sora asserted.

“You sure you’re qualified to do that?” the redhead asked. “No offense, but you look kinda…not heroic.”

“HEY!” Sora yelled.

“DO YOU WANNA BE RESCUED OR NOT?” Donald called up.

She folded her arms. “Fine. I’ll take it. They really mean it when they say not to look the Trojan horse in the mouth.”

* * *

_Clear the Heartless mob._

* * *

Once it was safe to do so, the redhead came out of hiding, approaching Sora. “Nice save,” she told him. “Coulda been worse. I mean, Hercules probably could’ve done it in half the time, but I’ll take what I can get here.”

“You should be grateful!” Donald scolded.

“And you shouldn’t be asking for gratitude, if you’re trying to be heroes,” the redhead asserted. “Whatever. I’ve got better places to be, like wherever isn’t on fire.”

She turned to leave, but then halted in place, slowly pivoting back to face Sora. Her eyes glowed pure viridian as she announced, “I just had a prophetic vision about what’s up next for you.”

“Oh yeah?” Sora leaned toward her eagerly, fists clenched.

The green faded from her eyes as she simply said, deadpan, “You’re gonna wanna be stocked up on Potions for this next bit. It’ll hurt.”

And with that, she was off.

Sora heaved a sigh, drooping. “It’s obvious I’m no Hercules.”

“Well, duh!” Donald scoffed.

“Donald!” Goofy chided. “Now, that’s just not nice! We’ve all got a ways to go, but we’ll get there together!”

“But I didn’t mean it like that!” Donald protested. “Of course Sora’s not Hercules! He’s Sora! And he’s got us! And we’re gonna be even BETTER than Hercules!”

“Heh…” Sora brightened. “Thanks, guys. It really means a lot, having you here to help me out. And as soon as I figure out how to get my strength back, I can pay you back for everything.”

“Now, you know our friendship don’t work like that!” Goofy admonished.

“We’re used to bailing you out when you get in over your head!” Donald emphasized.

“Yeah, well, it’s probably about time that changed,” Sora muttered.

* * *

_Proceed through town, saving more NPCs at will, until you reach the Alleyway._

* * *

The trio made their way into a larger building, only to see a horrific sight before them. Most of the structure had crumbled around them; at the opposite end, Hercules held up what hadn’t yet fallen, bearing the load. On the floor beneath him, several people backed into a frightened circle, surrounded by fiery Heartless.

“HERC!” Sora cried out.

“I’m okay!” Hercules yelled back. “Sora! You gotta help save these people!”

“We gotta do this quick!” Sora cried as he brought out his Keyblade. “Otherwise, if everything collapses…!”

* * *

_Take out the Heartless mob._

* * *

The building shook; Hercules, sensing imminent collapse, growled, “Get the people OUT!”

Donald and Goofy heeded his words immediately, rushing to the civilians.

“C’mon!” Goofy waved them along. “We gotta getcha to safety!”

“The way’s all clear!” Donald encouraged.

Sora, however, kept flicking his gaze between the people and Hercules. In an instant, he’d made up his mind. “HANG ON!”

Then he was standing beside Hercules, pressing up on the shaking rubble.

“Sora!” Hercules gasped. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you!” Sora answered.

“I can’t get hurt this way!” Hercules scolded. “You can! You need to help the people here, then get out!”

“NO! I’M NOT LEAVING!”

Donald and Goofy had escorted the civilians to the door, turning back to get a look at their lagging friends. “SORA!” Donald yelled. “DON’T BE A PALOOKA! COME ON!”

Sora’s arms trembled beneath the weight of the stone; “I – “

And then it all came crashing down in a landslide, the shock pushing Donald and Goofy out onto the grassy lawn.

When the dust cleared, both gasped in horror.

“SORA!” Donald shrieked.

“AND HERCULES!” Goofy cried.

They both looked morosely at the pile of debris, hanging their heads in grief.

Then the rubble shook. It burst, and Hercules emerged, carrying a sheepishly grinning Sora in his arms.

“YOU’RE OKAY!” Goofy yelled joyously, leaping into the air.

“I knew you would be,” Donald muttered. “I wasn’t gonna cry!”

Hercules placed Sora down on the street beside Donald and Goofy. “Thanks, Herc,” Sora told him. “That…coulda been bad.”

“You’re right,” Hercules told him in frustration. “Sora, what were you thinking? You knew I could handle that myself. Why did you put yourself in danger like that?”

“I wanted to help!” Sora argued.

“Did you really?” Hercules questioned. “Or did you just wanna prove your own strength?”

Sora was taken aback; he supposed he hadn’t really thought about it. Now that Hercules said it, it did seem rather obvious. He could have just helped the others out, but… “I can’t keep being weak like this, Hercules. I’m no good to anyone this way.”

Hercules gave a sigh. “Sora…that’s no way to think. I had to learn this lesson myself, back when Meg was in danger. It’s not about – “

The sound of sharp, sardonic applause, one clap at a time, drew the attention of the quartet. “Wow,” Xigbar said dryly. “Didn’t know you could screw it up that bad. This is a new low for you. Congrats.”

“GO AWAY!” Donald yelled, holding up his fists.

“NO ORGANIZATION!” Goofy added, copying Donald’s pose.

“You’re Xigbar!” Sora recalled.

Xigbar grinned. “All this would-be altruism is givin’ me the warm and fuzzies. So, then, based on the way you almost got yourself crushed to paste back there, does havin’ a heart of light come with an extremely good insurance policy?”

“Just say what you mean,” Sora groaned at him.

“Oh, but I did, though!” Xigbar told him. “See, you’re on the verge of learning some whole family-friendly lesson about putting other people first, but no good will ever come of that.”

“A true hero has to be willing to risk his own life to help others,” Hercules emphasized. “It doesn’t matter if it ends up becoming that hero’s tragedy. But every time I’ve done it, things have gotten better. I was able to save the person I loved!”

“Because you’ve got friends in high places,” Xigbar corrected. “You really think you’re more pure of heart than Mr. Insecurity here? You don’t do things just to show off your own muscles? Please. Like you’re in any place to give a lecture. Tricks like what you’ve got don’t fly for your average joe.”

Hercules’ face fell as he wondered if Xigbar’s words were true. Yet Sora came to the rescue; “What do you know? You weren’t even there! If you were, you’d admire Herc’s courage. He really is true of heart, and he’s selfless. That’s why I wanted to talk to him about my problem; because I knew he would have a better answer than I would!”

“I don’t admire people throwing away their lives for no reason,” Xigbar stated. “You’re all just linin’ up to lose out. Dooming others to take the fall with ya. Oh, and you can spare me the usual party line. Yes, hearts are powerful when they’re connected. But if you put too much of that power in one place, some of those hearts might end up breaking. Can’t have that if we’re gonna have a good old-fashioned Keyblade War, now, can we?”

“Are you…trying to get me to give up so you can win easier?” Sora realized.

Xigbar shrugged. “Worth a shot. Wouldn’t wanna have to go to Plan B because you don’t have a brain. But doesn’t that just sound better than runnin’ around, doin’ things the hard way? You go runnin’ after Hades, and you’re gonna end up just another soul floatin’ around his Underworld. In your heart of hearts, do you really, really want that?”

“No,” Sora admitted. “But…that’s what courage is, isn’t it? Doing things even when you’re afraid.”

To that, Xigbar let out a long, gravelly laugh. “Y’know what? Forget what I said. Don’t ever change, Sora. We’re countin’ on you not to.”

With that, he stalked into the mists, still laughing before a Corridor enveloped him.

“Hearts breaking?” Sora muttered. “Whose hearts?”

Was Xigbar trying to imply that Sora’s path would end up hurting his friends? Riku, Kairi, Lea? Their faces flashed before his mental eye as he pondered it.

“Sora.” The sound of Hercules’ voice snapped him out of his reverie. “Don’t let him bother you. He’s just trying to get under your skin ‘cause he thinks he can. He’s kinda like Hades that way, and just as annoying. But you’ll prove him wrong. You’ll show him that your sacrifices aren’t for nothing.”

“But…they are,” Sora realized. “Just now, when I tried to save everyone. It didn’t work, and it didn’t even help the people who needed it.”

“It’s what I’ve been trying to say,” Hercules told him. “After I rescued Meg, my father explained to me what happened. A hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. What you did back there wasn’t exactly smart…”

“But I have to be able to do more than just…show people the exit door,” Sora sighed.

“Really?” Hercules challenged. “I don’t think that’s true. I think doing what you can, no matter how small, proves how strong your heart is. Besides, you’ve got a pretty good team with you to pick up the slack.”

“Really?” Sora gasped. “So…as long as I just keep wanting to help others…it doesn’t matter how much power I have?”

“Not one bit,” Hercules assured him. “There’s always something you can do, so long as it’s the right thing.”

Sora smiled warmly. “…Thanks, Herc. You know…that wasn’t the answer I thought I was looking for, but it turns out it was the answer I needed.”

“I’m glad,” Hercules told him. “Now, we’ve got a city to save.”

He, Donald, and Goofy moved on ahead. Sora lingered, watching the place where Xigbar had disappeared.

“Dooming others to take the fall,” he muttered. “Is that what teamwork is?” He shook his head. “No. That’s what he wants me to think so I’ll lose heart. But…why do I feel like he knows something I don’t?”

Shrugging it off, he followed after his friends.

* * *

_Continue onward. Back in the Agora, you will run into the Rock Troll miniboss as per canon. Defeat it with the help of the Pirate Ship attraction flow._

* * *

Pegasus descended, Megara on his back. “Nice job, Wonder Boy,” she complimented. “And Wonderlings. Looks like the area’s finally clear. That big guy was the last major hitch.”

“Thanks for keeping an eye out,” Hercules told her. “If Thebes is safe, then that means we can head after the real problem.”

All eyes turned to Mount Olympus, where it was now clear a gathering of dark gray clouds encircled the summit.

“Hades,” Hercules muttered through gritted teeth. Then he turned to Sora; “This’ll be dangerous. I should probably handle it alone.”

“Nuh-uh!” Sora shook his head. “We’re goin’ with!”

“Yeah!” Goofy asserted.

“Can’t leave us behind!” Donald added.

“Sora,” Hercules said gently, “you don’t have anything to prove.”

“But I don’t want to prove anything,” Sora told Hercules. “I just wanna help. However I can. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“You betcha!” Goofy added.

“…Uh, yeah, sure,” Donald said hastily. “The RIGHT thing.”

After pondering it, Hercules gave a firm nod. “Then we’ll go together.”

“Together!” Sora agreed.

“This one might be a bit much for me,” Megara admitted. “Think I’ll sit this one out. Besides, there’s gonna be some cleanup left to do with the city half burned down. This part, I think I can handle.”

As Pegasus flapped his wings for takeoff, Megara called down, “Go get ‘em, Wonder Boy.”

“Stay safe,” Hercules bade her.

And then she and Pegasus were gone, off into the horizon over the city’s heart.

“Ready?” Hercules asked.

“Ready,” Sora affirmed.

* * *

_Head out of the city and up Mount Olympus. The cutscene midway is eliminated; Hercules remains with the party for the rest of the journey. As you near the summit, the sky darkens. The Rock Titan appears on a ledge above, beginning to toss down immense stones and prompting this dialogue:_

_Sora:_ WHAT THE –

 _Hercules:_ A Titan!

 _Goofy:_ That’s one of the things that threw us halfway across the country!

 _Donald:_ THROWING THINGS IS RUDE!

 _Sora:_ I say we teach him a lesson and get a little payback!

_A short cutscene shows Sora doing parkour over the falling stones to reach the next level. Proceed up the mountain. On the last climb up to the Rock Titan, you will have to dodge the rocks. Hercules will join in the battle against the Titan, which culminates in Mountain Coaster being summoned. Defeat the Titan._

* * *

The bested Rock Titan lost balance, crashing down the mountain and losing bits of himself all the way. As he watched the Titan fall, Sora whooped, “YES! That’s one down!”

“They’re not so tough by themselves!” Goofy realized.

“That one was dumb as a rock!” Donald laughed.

Sora and Goofy let out a groan. “Donaaaaald…” Sora sighed.

“What?” Donald asked indignantly.

“So, uh, Hercules,” Goofy asked, “how many more Titans to go?”

“I finished off one in the city before you showed up,” Hercules related. “That means there are three more. But I wouldn’t expect to face them on their own.”

“THREE?” Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped.

“That’s not fair!” Sora complained.

“You can still back out,” Hercules reminded him.

But Sora had folded his arms. “Nuh-uh! No way! Not with your family in trouble!”

“Then let’s go,” Hercules encouraged.

* * *

_Continue to the Summit, where the gates of Olympus lead the way to the godly realm._

* * *

As the gates of Olympus opened wide, Sora, Donald, and Goofy strode through first, beholding the whorls of golden cloud that made up the domain of the gods.

“Whoa!” Sora gasped. “Is this…”

“Home sweet home,” Hercules affirmed.

“Gawrsh,” Goofy remarked, “it’s amazing!”

The sudden change in background music alerted Donald; “The fanfare? Finally?”

“Uh…what are you talking about?” Hercules asked. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Oh,” Donald realized. “That means – “

A flock of Satyr Heartless materialized before them.

“Awww, darn it,” Donald groaned.

* * *

_Fight the Satyr mob. You will need to activate Trinity Shield in order to finish the fight. Once the battle is over, this dialogue is prompted:_

_Hercules:_ Let’s keep moving! Hades will already be at the very top.

_Make your way up the mountain. The map will be as you know it from canon, only adjusted so that no Shotlock is necessary to reach any part. Once you reach the topmost gates, a cutscene will trigger._

* * *

The gods and goddesses had already been bound in chains, paraded in a line across the throne chamber. The Lava and Ice Titans banded together, uniting their breaths to seal Zeus in a slowly solidifying column of stone. “I swear to you, Hades,” the god-king roared, “when I get out of th – “

But he was cut off, his prison enveloping him in entirety.

“Nope!” Hades summoned up a throne of Darkness, reclining back into it. “I’m the one giving orders now, Bolt Boy.” He then called a parchment scroll out of thin air, poring it over. “Let’s see…free Titans, check. Overthrow Zeusy, check. Rule cosmos, check. Next stop, Book of Pro – “

“DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE, HADES!”

The sound of Hercules’ eager cry drew Hades’ attention. His eyes fixed on Sora, who cried “We’re gonna stop you!” as he led the party.

“WHAT?” Hades cried. “Oh. Okay. No. It’s fine. It’s cool. It’s fine. Mal dropped off the status report; this kid’s a no-go! All I gotta do is overpower Wonder Boy, and the rest will fall into place!”

He rose dramatically, pointing toward the heroic quartet; “GET THEM!”

The shadows of the Titans fell over Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hercules as the gigantic creatures blocked the way to Hades. A whirling cyclone of air. A brittle, jagged behemoth of ice. A lumbering mass of magma that melted all it touched.

Sora didn’t slow, raising his Keyblade high. As he led his friends toward the Titans, he cried, “BRING IT ON!”

* * *

_The Titan boss battle remains unchanged. The first phase involves using Zeus’ prison column to overcome the Ice and Lava Titans at once. Once they are eliminated, the battle continues above the clouds, where the Tornado Titan is defeated._

* * *

“WHAAAAAAT?” Hades roared in a red-hot rage as he stood, throwing flames left and right. “THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE! THIS SHOULDN’T BE HAPPENING! THE KID WAS OUT OF PLAY! HE’S A LOSER! HE’S A WEAKLING!”

“He’s also been picking up new tricks while running around Thebes saving people!” Sora snapped. “If anything, your little stunt down there made me stronger!”

“NOOOOOOO!” Hades screamed. “TITANS! ASSEMBLE!”

The Lava, Ice, and Tornado Titan resumed their places before the group, but now the Rock Titan surfaced as well, having climbed back up from the nadir.

“Uh-oh!” Goofy cried. “Now there’s four of ‘em!”

“I don’t know if we can take four at once!” Sora said worriedly.

Hercules inclined his head to the side; “Then do what you can.”

“Oh!” Sora realized. “Right! You got this!”

He dove to the side, curling into a roll and unrolling into a slide past the line of gods and goddesses Hades had chained beside Zeus’ prison. His Keyblade slashed, breaking their Underworldly chains and freeing the deities.

As Sora did so, Hercules scaled the stone column with lightning speed, seizing the stone in his bare hands and breaking it open. In a beacon of shining light, Zeus rose.

“WHAAAAAAT?” Hades screeched.

“Well done, my boy!” Zeus told Hercules. “I knew you had it in you!” He summoned several gleaming bolts of pure electricity to hand. “Now, watch your old man work!”

He twirled the bolts dramatically. The Titans flinched, knowing what was coming next.

The thunderbolts boomed across the air. All four Titans were struck in bursts of light, causing them to turn and retreat. But Hercules, knowing the damage they could do down below, wasn’t one to leave a job unfinished. He seized the Tornado Titan by the base, twirling him like a lasso until he had enveloped all his brethren. Then, with one great heave, Hercules hurled the lot into the sky, where they careened to the highest heights before exploding into a psychedelic nebula formation.

Laughing, Zeus and Hercules slapped a high-five.

“WE DID IT!” Goofy cried, leaping into the air with joy as Sora led the other gods toward him and Donald.

“You’re welcome!” Donald said to the gods, arms outstretched. He went ignored.

“Rrrrghhhhh…” Hades groaned. “I can’t BELIEVE IT! I put eighteen yeeeaaars into that plan, and you blippin’ RUINED IT! You – I – I – I REALLY. DON’T. LIKE YOU.”

“Your comebacks could use some work,” Sora said with a smirk.

“Now stay in the Underworld where ya belong!” Goofy urged. “Don’t ya gotta run things down there anyway?”

“Go have the time of your afterlife!” Donald asserted.

“Donaaaald…” Sora groaned softly.

“HEY!” Donald snapped at him. “That one was cleverer than ‘dumb as a rock’ at LEAST!”

“ENOUGH ALREADY!” Hades, now red as an ember, threw a column of flame to either side of himself. “I did NOT come this far to be ridiculed by Zeusy high-and-mighty, his little sunspot, and a trio of CLOWNS! You know what? I’ll just go ahead AND DESTROY YOU!”

As he put up his hands in a motion to attack, he heard a chorus of clearing throats behind him. He turned; there, assembled, were Hercules, Zeus, and the entire Greek pantheon he’d not too long ago enslaved. All of whom had a bone to pick.

“How about Zeus, Herc, these clowns, and all the gods combined?” Sora snarked from behind Hades.

The Underworld god knew he was beaten when he saw how the odds were stacked. Hercules gestured to the gates with a smug grin; “The exit is that way.”

“Oy vey…geez Louise…” Hades forced himself to cool off. He began to walk away, muttering, “You know what? Minor setback. Incredibly minor setback. I mean, once we have the Book – “

“Oh, Hades!” Hercules called from behind. “I almost forgot.”

Hades turned to see Hercules’ meaty fist ramming into his face, sending him spilling across the ground. “That was for Thebes,” Hercules said with a nod.

“You’ll pay for this!” Hades seethed. “This is not the end of the road! You’re not the only one with friends in high places! When my buddies get their act together and line up all those pretty little damsels in distress, THIS is gonna seem like a pleasant day at the park! Not even you can stop me when I CONTROL YOUR DESTINY!”

And with that, he vanished in a dark swirl.

“…What did that mean?” Sora wondered out loud.

“Whatever it is,” Donald groaned, “it’s probably our problem for later.”

“Uh…I dunno about you fellas,” Goofy realized, “but I ain’t too sure we’re welcome here, bein’ that we’re mortal and all.”

It was true; the other gods were beginning to scowl at these paltry mortals who dared stand among them, let alone show them up in the face of Hades.

“Uh…we’ll get going now,” Sora said sheepishly.

“See you soon, Dad,” Hercules said.

“Wait,” Sora broke in. “You’re not staying? Isn’t this your home?”

“That’s a decision I made a long time ago,” Hercules informed him. “I can still be connected to my family, even without living on Olympus. But a life here would be a life without Meg, and that life would be empty.”

“Awww!” Donald cooed.

“She’s gonna be so glad to hear you said that!” Goofy gushed.

“Anyway,” Hercules told Sora, “I hope things look a little clearer now.”

“Yeah!” Sora affirmed. “I don’t need all my power in order to help people! I could probably keep going without getting any stronger at all!”

Hercules laughed. “Of course you’ll keep getting stronger, Sora! It just isn’t the most important part of being a hero.”

“Yeah,” Sora realized. “Yeah! I will get stronger! I’ll get all my old skills back! And maybe one day, I’ll be even stronger than you!”

“Oh?” Hercules challenged. “Wanna settle it in the Coliseum once you get there?”

They all shared a laugh.

Danger still loomed on the edges of the cosmos. The Organization was plotting, and Maleficent’s forces had a scheme of their own in play. But now, hope shone as a bright light in the darkness. So long as Sora had his friends, he was unstoppable.

* * *

CLOSING TITLE CARD: OLYMPUS

* * *

Gloved hands clawed furiously at the dirt outside a stone building in Thebes. At last, they uncovered what they sought: a tiny box, sealed with a skull-shaped lock.

“Aha!” Demyx pried the container out of the ground victoriously. “And I thought this was gonna be hard. Wait…” He read the inscription on the lid. “‘Pandora’s Box’? Awww, this isn’t what I wanteeeeeed!”

And with that, he unceremoniously tossed the container of all humanity’s evils aside as he trudged away to continue his search somewhere else.


	3. Interlude: Realm of Darkness

_I forgot to mention this last time, but at the end of your quest in Olympus, you receive the Hero’s Origin Keyblade. Its formchange is still the Counter Shield and works as canonically._

* * *

Seated at the trio of chairs inside the Gummi ship, Donald, Goofy, and Sora were ready to travel once more.

“Okay, where to?” Donald asked.

“Ummm…” Sora thought it over. “We should probably check back in at Twilight Town. See how Lea and Kairi are doing. Maybe Riku stopped for a visit, too!”

“Yeah!” Goofy nodded. “And then we can see if Hayner, Pence, and Olette figured out anythin’ about Roxas or the old mansion!”

“And maybe that fancy restaurant is open!” Donald added, rubbing his stomach in circles.

Before Sora could kick the ship into ignition, a high-pitched chime filled the cabin. Startled, the trio looked around with a chorus of “Huh?”s and “What?”s until, at last, the source was found: the device that Merlin had given Sora, now vibrating and jingling furiously inside of his back pocket.

“Hey!” he realized as he withdrew it. “It’s the thing Merlin gave me!”

“Shut it off!” Donald complained. “It’s getting annoying!”

“I don’t know how!” Sora argued.

“Try pressin’ one of those buttons!” Goofy suggested, pointing to the screen. Below the icon of a vibrating device the likes of which Sora hadn’t seen before, there were two circles on the screen: one green, one red.

“Which one?” Sora asked.

“WHO CARES?” Donald snapped.

“Well, green usually means ‘go,’” Goofy figured, “so I’d use that one!”

“But we don’t WANT it to go!” Donald argued. “WE WANT IT TO STOP!”

“Hmm…I like green.” Sora punched the small green circle with his index fingertip.

“Fine,” Donald muttered. “Go ahead, keep acting like I’m not even here…” This crumbled into an unintelligible angry mutter.

The moment Sora activated the screen on the device, it was filled with the colorful image of a chipmunk with a bright red nose standing atop a familiar-looking desk – the one in Mickey’s study. “HURRAY!” Dale cheered with a joyous leap. “He picked up!”

“HUH?” Sora recoiled, not sure how he was seeing the image of his friend when they were obviously worlds apart. “Dale?”

“Hey, Chipper!” Dale called over to the side of the screen. “I got him!” A pause as he waited; then an urge of “HURRY UP, CHIP!”

Chip barreled in front of Dale on the screen, nearly overshooting as he skidded on the polished wood of the desk. “All right!” Chip chirped. “It worked!”

“Chip?” Sora greeted gingerly.

“The prototype is a success!” Chip cheered. “Now we can give you updates!”

“And we got lots and lotsa important stuff we wanna tell ya!” Dale emphasized.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Sora broke in. “Back up! What prototype? What’s going on?”

“Oh, right,” Chip realized. “You’ve never worked with one of these before, have you?”

“Um…is it like a computer?” Sora guessed. “No, that can’t be right. It’s way too small.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised all the data we could pack into one little device!” Chip asserted.

“Data?” Sora repeated. “Like…the Datascape?”

Chip shook his head, throwing out his arms; “No, no, no! It’s nothing to do with that! The GummiPhone is a state-of-the-art communication device with multiple functions designed to streamline everyday life!”

“It’s basically a tiny computer that fits in your hand,” Dale translated. “And it takes pictures!”

“So it’s a computer AND a camera!” Sora realized. “And it’ll let me talk to you?”

“You and anyone else who has one!” Chip added. “So long as you have the right number. For now, here’s what you need to know. The GummiPhone can let you talk with anyone, anywhere, on any world, so long as they have a GummiPhone themselves. The GummiPhone comes with apps – that’s short for ‘applications’ – to allow you to organize things, like the equipment you’re carrying or the journaling of your adventures. And, like Dale said, it has a photo function. You can take pictures of anything around you, or you can turn it around to take a picture of yourself!”

“That’s called a ‘selfie’!” Dale asserted.

“That’s so neat!” Sora cried. “Now we can stay in touch wherever! So what’s the important stuff you wanted to talk about?”

“Remember when you and Riku quested through the Sleeping Worlds,” Chip prompted, “and Riku recovered some secret research data that Ansem the Wise hid inside you?”

“Oh, yeah!” Sora recalled. “Did you figure any of it out?”

“We’ve been workin’ our tails off tryin’ to crack it and see what it says!” Chip went on.

“And?” Sora urged.

“We got nowhere,” Dale sighed.

“Then why’d you make a big fuss about it?” Donald squawked.

“Because!” Dale asserted. “We got a friend who DID get somewhere on it!”

“He’s a little…shy about reachin’ out,” Chip stated, “but he’s on the line, too. You wanna talk to him?”

“But ya gotta promise no judgments!” Dale urged.

“Uh…okay,” Sora vowed. “No judgments.”

“Ready when you are, Ienzo!” Chip called out.

The screen gave way to a different setting. Sora was now looking at the face – or half of the face – of a strange man; his silver-blue hair falling to cover one eye. The background of the scene looked more familiar than the person: Sora faintly remembered seeing that particular hue on the laboratory wall in Radiant Garden. “Hello!” the man greeted, giving a nervous chuckle.

“Uh…hi,” Sora greeted, scratching his head. “You’re…Chip and Dale’s friend?”

“Yes,” the man replied. “My name is Ienzo. You…yes, that’s right. You wouldn’t remember me.”

Sora shook his head. “Uh-uh. Have we met?”

“Not directly,” Ienzo told him. “Though we did nearly cross paths in Castle Oblivion.”

“Oh!” Sora cried. “Were you a friend I made there? Did you try to help me or Riku out?”

“…No,” Ienzo said rather sheepishly. “I’m afraid I was actually…on the other side of the equation. The name I was going by at the time was ‘Zexion.’”

“Zexion,” Sora repeated. “Why does that sound so familiar?”

“Riku may have told you of how I…” Ienzo struggled to get the words out. “…manipulated him…and exploited your friendship…in order to – “

“Oh, he DID tell me that part!” Sora realized. Then his brow furrowed. “Wait. Why are you calling me after all that? What’s going on?”

“First of all, I would like to apologize for what I had done,” Ienzo told Sora. “Though my associates and I had cast off our hearts by choice, make no mistake, we were unaware that Xemnas – or, rather Xehanort – was manipulating us. Still, I realize that is no excuse. I made choices, and I have to live with them now. The best I can do is try to make amends.”

“You don’t…sound evil anymore,” Sora observed. “I mean, I don’t remember what you used to sound like, but I’m guessing it was less friendly. And I’ve had a few friends who’ve made some pretty big mistakes. You know what? I think you should get a second chance. Yeah! Wanna be friends now?”

Ienzo smiled brightly, the sight of which made Sora’s mood all the warmer. “I would like that very much! Thank you!”

“Waaaiiiit a minuuuute,” Donald broke in. “Didn’t you get destroyed back at Castle Oblivion?”

“Yeah!” Goofy realized. “That’s what Riku said! And also Lea!”

“But Lea came back, remember?” Sora realized. “This is probably the same thing! What did he say…if a Heartless and Nobody belonging to the same person are both defeated, that person gets recompleted!”

“Exactly!” Ienzo affirmed.

“Did Sora just remember something actually smart?” Donald’s jaw dropped. “Forget all the lost Keyblade power! That’s something that’s NEVER happened before!”

“Hey, I’m plenty smart!” Sora argued.

“Smarter than me, for sure!” Goofy added.

“That’s not a high bar!” Donald argued.

“So what about the others?” Sora asked. “Weren’t there more in Organization XIII? We defeated all of their Nobodies…what happened then?”

Ienzo shook his head; “No sign of Braig, Isa, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, or Larxene. Which is very worrisome. Given their past allegiance to Xehanort, I’m afraid we cannot rule out that they may have rejoined his ranks.”

“Would one of those guys be Xigbar?” Sora realized. “We already saw Xigbar!”

“Then it’s as I feared,” Ienzo sighed. “That is why Braig was not here. Tell me, what happened between you and him?”

“He was tryin’ to psyche me out by using scary talk,” Sora related. “But I didn’t fall for it. He is definitely with Xehanort now, though.”

Ienzo looked visibly deflated.

“I, uh…I’m sorry,” Sora said gingerly.

“Braig and I never were close friends,” Ienzo admitted, “and yet he was a great presence in my life growing up. To think he is lost forever to the Darkness… I suppose we all must accept that some of those we admire continue to choose the wrong path. As for the others, they recompleted here in the castle, and have taken up staffing it in Ansem’s absence. Dilan and Aeleus have resumed their positions in the guard, acting as castle protectors, and as for – “

He was interrupted by a sharp, barking voice; “Ienzo, WHAT are you doing? I ask for your assistance and you waste your time visiting with inconsequential acquaintances!”

Ienzo couldn’t help but chuckle. “That was actually incredibly well-timed, Even. Actually, I’m talking to Sora and debriefing him om the code.”

“Then will you arrive at the POINT?” the voice snapped. “Here – GIVE me that thing – “

The GummiPhone was ingloriously ripped from Ienzo’s hands, and Sora now beheld a second face: a sharp, angular visage of high cheekbones and deeply expressive eyebrows, framed by blond bangs. “To the point,” this man said sharply, “the data retrieved by our former mentor suggests that your heart is shared by others.”

“Who are you?” Sora asked. “Were you at Castle Oblivion, too?”

“That is beside the point,” the man said, wincing. “To continue – “

“You wanna be friends, too?” Sora asked.

“Tch – “ The blond shut his eyes in frustration. “Ienzo…perhaps you should handle this matter. I had forgotten the Chosen One was an imbecile.”

“Hey!” Donald stamped his foot. “Who’re you callin’ an imbecile?”

“The Keybearer,” the blond reiterated. “You were not even involved and have no place to respond.”

“I’m sorry,” Ienzo said as he pulled the phone back, holding it out so both men were now visible onscreen. “Even has always been a little…blunt.”

“If you are trying to insult me, Ienzo,” Even replied, prying his eyes open so he could roll them, “you will have to come up with something I haven’t heard before.”

“You might know the name ‘Vexen’ better,” Ienzo went on. “He was also at Castle Oblivion, and he also acted…antagonistic at the time.”

“Yes,” Even said sharply, “well, now, I wish to atone. For all the good it has done. Since then, it’s just landed me in the bowels of this castle with the Restoration Committee breathing down my neck. Do they not realize I need uninterrupted silence in order to continue my work?”

“Seems to me you’re the one gettin’ off-topic now,” Goofy observed.

Even looked about ready to explode (which wouldn’t have been the first time for him). “THE POINT is that we discovered that Sora’s heart is SHARED!”

“With Roxas, right?” Sora said with a nod. “I’ve known for a while, now. He and I share a body and heart. So do Naminé and Kairi. It just seems unfair that we have to be two people when we’re really four – “

“No, no, NO!” Even barked. “You do not UNDERSTAND! Your heart is not host to TWO people; it is host to FIVE!”

Sora, Goofy, and Donald all did the largest of double-takes, eyes widening all around as they chorused, “WHAAAAAAT?”

“Yourself,” Even listed off. “Roxas. A heart that has rested within you as long as Roxas’ has. And two hearts that have rested within you for over the length of a decade.”

“But that can’t be right!” Sora cried. “Who are these other people?”

“It can’t be right?” Even repeated. “IT CAN’T BE RIGHT? ARE YOU INSINUATING THAT MY RESEARCH IS IN ANY WAY FLAWED – “

Ienzo pulled the phone back over to himself. “Again, I apologize,” he said softly. “It truly isn’t a surprise that Ansem was fascinated by someone as special as you. It was already a significant deviation from the norm that you and your Nobody were able to coexist. But there is also the question of your physical appearance. Normally, Nobodies and their origins look the same, but you and Roxas are nothing alike. I wonder if it has to do with another of these presences within you. Perhaps Roxas is a double of one of the other hearts’ owners. Yet nothing can be proven for certain. We haven’t even translated Ansem’s code completely; more answers may lie there. Furthermore, this suggests something truly incredible about your heart’s capacity. I’m not yet sure what conclusion we will come to, but we intend to keep researching based on these new findings.”

“Let me know what you find!” Sora encouraged. “I’m super curious now, too! Glad I got such a smart new friend.”

Ienzo gave him that warm smile again. “And I am glad to have such a forgiving one. Even and I will keep working on Ansem’s code. We will be in touch as we turn up further findings.”

Sora flashed a thumbs-up at the phone; “Can’t wait!”

“Safe journeys, Sora,” Ienzo said before the screen gave way to Chip and Dale once more.

“Okeydokey!” Dale asserted. “We’ll give ya a ring if anything else turns up! Just remember, all your friends are never far away!”

He and Chip vanished as well, leaving a blue screen with several app icons on the GummiPhone.

“Cool!” Sora cried. “I can’t wait to try out this phone!”

“Sora!” Donald bopped him lightly on the head with his staff. “We just got some big news! What’re we supposed to do now, huh?”

“We had our plate full lookin’ for Roxas,” Goofy mused. “Now we gotta look for three other people, too?”

“I know it sounds big,” Sora sighed, “but we can only take it one step at a time. We have to do what we can. I don’t have the Power of Waking yet, but that’s not everything. If we go back to Twilight Town now, we can start looking into Roxas. And who knows? Maybe, from there, everything will just fall into place.”

“Hmm…I like it!” Goofy realized. “A simple and clean plan!”

“I am all about being simple and clean,” Sora said with a smile.

“So let’s GO already!” Donald urged. “I wanna check in on that restaurant!”

* * *

_There will be a short Gummi route to Twilight Town, but it is fairly easy compared to the others in this game, as Sora technically has already been to Twilight Town. The route is the colors of the sunset skies, oranges and reds, with a light scattering of Heartless ships patrolling. Clouds will sometimes obscure the ship’s vision, meaning your reaction time has to be quick when a Heartless ship does come into view. However, these ships don’t do too much damage. The ship will then arrive back at Twilight Town._

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had barely managed to enter Tram Common when they heard Hayner’s voice call out, “SORA! GUYS!”

Said teen was in the lead of Pence and Olette, all three of whom were running toward the trio at top speed. “Nice timing!” Pence complimented.

“Please,” Hayner scoffed. “Didn’t I tell you they were gonna show up about now? My gut is never wrong when it’s filled with the right ice cream!”

“You found something?” Sora guessed.

“Yeah!” Hayner said as he pumped his fists enthusiastically. “We went poking around in the tunnels, and we found a way that opens all the way up to the woods where the old mansion is!”

“Uh, yeah,” Olette scoffed. “A way through the SEWER.” She gave a shrug and a sigh. “Sorry. It’s gonna be kinda gross.”

“Eh, I’ve seen worse,” Sora said with a shrug of his own.

“If I never get eaten by another whale,” Donald muttered, “it’ll be too soon.”

“We haven’t gotten a chance to check around inside yet,” Pence admitted, “but we were hoping to save that for when you showed up anyway. Why don’t you head on over there? We’ll meet you!”

“Why can’t you come with?” Sora asked.

“’Cause we gotta do a quick errand for our new job, silly,” Olette said with a smile.

Sora gasped; “New job? That’s awesome! What do you do?”

“No time!” Hayner threw out his arm. “Roxas is counting on us!”

Sora nodded decisively. “Right. Okay. We’ll head on over to the mansion.”

“See ya there!” Goofy said brightly.

And with that, the two trios made their way in opposite directions.

* * *

_The sewer area previously blocked off will now be open. Enter it and begin to make your way through. Donald will complain at various intervals on the first trip:_

_Donald:_ Aww, do we have to?

 _Donald:_ Go faster! It smells bad!

 _Donald:_ I don’t wanna know what I just stepped in!

_Once you reach the forest, Heartless will manifest as random encounters. There is no cutscene introducing Remy here; you simply proceed to the mansion._

_Goofy:_ I see it! That building up ahead!

* * *

When Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrived in front of the mansion, it was an unspoken agreement to stop and simply behold it, almost reverently: its conical towers, its muted stained-glass window at the zenith, its intricate carvings. In particular, Sora’s gaze drifted to a window on the left-hand side of the building, white lace curtains gently billowing beyond.

That window – something about it –

Sora let out a soft breath, waiting for someone absent to appear. For a moment, it wasn’t even Sora looking, but purely the eyes of Roxas, expecting that someone, the person who held the answers to his questions, the Light in his Darkness.

Sora, realizing he was out of his own body, shook his head hard to clear the daze, and everything was normal. Though maybe he shouldn’t have done that, he reflected. After all, he was trying to bring Roxas back to the surface, not imprison him further. Without thinking, he’d hung his head over the fact.

He forced himself to speak, to break the spell: “Whaddaya think, guys? This place is even creepier than I remember.”

“Well, they do say that this mansion is haunted,” Goofy mused.

Donald immediately began to tremble, eyes wide. No one bothered to point out to him that he’d weathered worse in Halloween Town, since pointing out such things was usually Donald’s job in the first place.

Sora then gave a sigh. “But also…something else. Not just creepy. I dunno…can a building be sad?”

No one answered. No one needed to. They all agreed, again unspoken.

When the sudden hand lay on Sora’s shoulder with a greeting of “Hey there,” Sora’s first instinct was to turn sharply and cry out as he threw the offending arm to the side; Donald and Goofy, startled by Sora’s reaction, followed suit without even thinking.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette backed off while the three got the screaming out of their system. Once Sora realized it was only them, he cried, “Thanks for the heart attack!”

“Oh, what?” Hayner laughed. “Did I scare you?”

Donald straightened up, his hat momentarily popping off his head from the momentum and coming to settle back down. “Not a chance!” he asserted as he shook two fists at Hayner.

“Our bad,” Olette said sheepishly.

“So did you get any leads asking around?” Sora asked.

“Not even one,” Pence sighed. “There’s no trace.”

“This old mansion is our last hope,” Hayner emphasized.

He, Pence, and Olette, as well, took a moment just to survey the building, to feel its melancholy seeping into their beings.

Then Olette asked with forced enthusiasm, “You guys ready?”

“Another Twilight Town awaits!” Pence emphasized.

Sora turned to look up at the mansion’s façade one last time. “Yeah,” he said decisively. “Roxas, I’m gonna find you.”

* * *

The way to the subterranean laboratory was familiar, particularly for Pence, who had snuck back to that room once or twice to toy with the monitors and see what else he could find in the Datascape. Once the six entered the deep blue room of shadows with its computer terminals still aglow, Pence broke into a run toward the machinery; “Here we go!”

He settled himself into the steel seat before the monitors filled with scrolling text and strange symbols. “The password was ‘sea-salt ice cream,’ right?” He tapped it into the prompt screen; as he was greeted with soft blue and the “D.T.D.” logo, he proclaimed, “Okay. I’m in.”

“See if you can get the transporter working!” Hayner encouraged.

“On it,” Pence said, fingers flying over the keys.

A bright red error screen and the soft sound of a digitally-recreated siren informed him the action would not be possible. “Oh, man,” he muttered. “The transporter’s been protected.”

“Protected from what?” Sora asked.

“I guess from us?” Pence mused. “But…that just doesn’t make any sense. Who would wanna lock us out?”

No one knew. Nor did anyone know what else could be done without said transporter.

“Great,” Sora sighed. “Our last hope, and it’s a dead end.”

But then came the pleasant jingle of the GummiPhone; Sora brought it out to answer it. No sooner had he pressed the green “answer” button than a voice came roaring out: “WHICH ONE OF YOU TRIED TO ACCESS THE TWILIGHT TOWN DATASCAPE?”

“GAH!” Sora cried, fumbling the phone in his hands. “Sorry, Even! Were we not supposed to?”

Ienzo’s voice cut through; “Even, please! Let me talk to them.”

“I’ve had about enough of trying to deal with them anyway,” Even groaned as he handed the phone back to Ienzo.

“Heh…sorry.” Ienzo smiled sheepishly. “Again. Don’t worry. You didn’t do anything wrong at all. I’m guessing you’re in front of a computer?”

“Huh?” Sora replied. “Well…yeah! But how’d you know that?”

“Even and I were tinkering with Ansem’s computer to attempt to further decrypt the code he left,” Ienzo explained, “and we noticed that someone had logged in from another terminal. The only other place Ansem would have been able to access the same data and want linked would have been in the old mansion in Twilight Town. I figured it might be you.”

“Oh! Yeah, the log terminal!” Sora replied.

“You don’t know what he said!” Donald chided.

“Oh, and what, you do?” Sora snapped back.

“I know I haven’t got a clue,” Goofy said plainly.

Ienzo found himself laughing at the antics. “Then, uhh…who was it that logged in?”

“Oh, hi there!” Pence called over. “My name’s Pence. I’m one of Roxas’ friends…sorta. I’m the one who logged into the computer.”

“Good,” Ienzo stated pleasantly. “As long as it’s a user that we know we can trust.”

“Yup!” Pence affirmed. “But…I’m kind of stuck here. One of the programs is protected, so I can’t run it.”

“Which program?” Ienzo asked.

“THE TRANSPORTER TO THE OTHER TWILIGHT TOWN!” Hayner yelled so suddenly that Ienzo flinched. “It’s the only way to find Roxas! You gotta help us!”

“Oh, for – “ The phone was back in the hands of Even. “That program has not been PROTECTED. It has been DELETED.”

“WHAT?” Sora cried.

“The digital Twilight Town was maintained only for the purposes of housing Roxas during his exile and Sora’s recuperation,” Even explained, trying very hard not to lose it completely. “Once it had served its purpose, i.e. Roxas was no longer anywhere near that digital town, it was a waste of hard-drive space. I have purged all related data.”

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” Sora yelled. “WHAT IF THERE WAS STUFF THERE ABOUT HOW TO BRING ROXAS BACK?”

“THERE WASN’T!” Even seethed back venomously. “THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO TELL YOU! NOT A SCRAP OF DATA RELATED TO ROXAS REMAINED! THAT PROGRAM WAS WORTHLESS! YOU WOULDN’T HAVE FOUND WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR EVEN IF THAT TRANSPORTER DID LEAD ANYWHERE!”

“Now, wait a minute.” Ienzo pulled the phone back toward himself. “I, too, had thought the digital town would be useless, but if you truly think it may contain a clue…then perhaps…they say that nothing is ever truly lost within data. I may be able to reconstruct the town’s files from the backups on this end.”

“And how is this IN ANY WAY our problem?” Even yapped.

“I would have thought you of all people would find value in a trail that leads to one of the hearts that inhabits Sora,” Ienzo told him. “It would be an amazing scientific discovery. Think of the journals you could write on the subject if Roxas could tell his story!”

Even gave a “Hmph” before muttering, “Go ahead, if you must. But make certain it doesn’t interfere with my work.”

“I’m guessin’ that world’s floatin’ around somewhere in the Datascape!” Goofy realized. “Ain’t that where all data goes?”

“It’s certainly viable,” Ienzo stated. “Pence, let’s get a network set up.”

“I thought we were on a shared network,” Pence said with confusion. “Isn’t that how you noticed us?”

“Well, yes and no,” Ienzo said. “After all, when Ansem set up that terminal, he was trying to keep in hiding. There are firewalls up to prevent that side from being accessed by this side without express permission from your end.”

“Just tell me what to do,” Pence said with a nod.

“Okay,” Ienzo told him. “Start by…”

* * *

After several minutes of exchanging jargon, Ienzo and Pence were finally connected. Everyone who wasn’t Ienzo or Pence had practically fallen asleep by then, but they were snapped out of it when Ienzo announced, “Okay, sharing is enabled!”

“Were you able to fix it?” Sora asked.

“This was only the first step,” Ienzo explained. “But now that our two computers are networked together, I can take control of the files and permissions on your end and combine them with what I have here. That might provide enough of a base for reconstruction: if not of the digital world, than some of the simulation programs it ran. Ansem would have included Roxas’ full data in the construction, and traces of it may yet remain.”

“Uh…okay,” Sora said unsurely.

“Oh.” Ienzo realized he needed to translate. “We might find pieces of Roxas that lead us to a better idea of how to get him back.”

“That’s great!” Sora proclaimed. “I can’t computer, so you keep doing that!”

“Glad you’re following along,” Ienzo teased. “Don’t worry. We’ll handle it. I’ll log in Chip and Dale as well; they know quite a bit about data themselves. Between the four of us, we should be able to find something! I’ll call you back as soon as we know anything more.”

“Thanks!” Sora said with a bright smile.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Ienzo added. “I…wanted to say that my interest in this project is not purely scientific. I truly do hope to reunite you with your friend.”

“Thanks, Ienzo,” Sora replied warmly. “That means a lot.”

The line disconnected.

“How much longer do we gotta be here?” Hayner groaned. “We have a shift starting, like, ten minutes ago!”

“I know this is important,” Olette asserted, “but now that it’s going to be long-term, we have to balance it with work. We made a promise.”

“You guys go on,” Pence encouraged. “I’ll stay here and work on the Roxas situation. Ienzo’s messaging me right now.”

Olette folded her arms. “Okay. But when we go to the beach at the end of the week, we’re not spotting for your pretzel.”

“Let’s go!” Hayner encouraged, leading Olette out of the room.

“So, uh…” Sora asked gingerly. “You, uh…you need me for anything?”

“Nope,” Pence told him. “You can go work on things outside.”

“We still got plenty to do for the Seven Lights!” Goofy recalled.

“Like check on Lea and Kairi!” Sora added.

“And I’m hungry!” Donald insisted.

With that, they took their leave; Pence kept tapping away, riveted by the possibilities on the horizon.

* * *

_Walk through the mansion’s front yard._

_Goofy:_ So, what’s next?  
_Donald:_ Want to go back to town?

_At the gates, the cutscene will trigger._

* * *

“I’m worried,” Sora admitted as his feet hit the soft grass.

“Don’t be!” Goofy encouraged. “Roxas is gonna come out of all this just fine! Pence an’ Ienzo have got it handled!”

“But what if they don’t?” Sora asked. “What if Roxas is lost forever? And what if it’s…my fault, for taking him inside my heart?”

“Aww, don’t say that!” Donald urged. “You had to do what was best at the time! And if he hadn’t joined up with you, then we’d still all be asleep underground!”

The subtle sound of a Corridor opening was followed by the deep, rich sound of a slow voice: “Besides, what you seek is unattainable. What should never have existed in the first place cannot exist again.”

“WAH!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy all whipped around to see Xemnas striding toward them and coming to a soft halt on the grass. Once they’d taken him in, they braced for potential battle. “Roxas does exist,” Sora insisted. “His heart’s inside my heart.”

“And in the unlikely event you did manage to separate the two,” Xemnas posed, “where is it you think you can put his heart?”

“I…I don’t know,” Sora admitted. “But he’s himself, not me! He can’t stay inside my heart! He’s gotta have a chance to see the worlds for himself!”

“He had such a chance,” Xemnas retorted, “and ran out of his borrowed time. Three hundred and fifty-eight days too many, for such a creature.”

“STOP CALLING ROXAS THOSE THINGS!” Sora yelled. “HE’S NOT A THING! HE’S A PERSON! WHY ARE YOU EVEN SAYING THAT? YOU’RE A NOBODY, TOO!”

“A vessel of Xehanort,” Xemnas corrected. “One of thirteen that hold his essence. And yet I am not meant to exist either; merely to act as an iteration of Xehanort, and to play my part until the Keyblade War has been completed. Then I shall fade back into the nothingness from which I was forged, realizing my true destiny to never exist as Xehanort gains the knowledge he seeks. That is why I have aligned with his plan, despite seeking none of that knowledge for myself. Each of us has a different objective. For example, the Seeker of Darkness wishes the worlds obliterated in the outcome of the Keyblade War, as he has always wished the worlds tied to Darkness. He, too, will vanish before the rebirth, disappearing into the perfect emptiness, the purest Darkness. Until then, he, too, serves our purpose.”

“Wait a minute,” Goofy realized. “You mean Ansem, right?”

“Not the real Ansem,” Donald clarified. “The fake Ansem!”

“He’s back, too?” Sora gasped. “But…” He recoiled, thinking of the destruction wrought at the hands of that powerful man.

“But think about it!” Goofy urged. “Xemnas an’ Ansem are part of the same person, right? But they exist apart just fine! If they can do it, why not you an’ Roxas?”

“Oh, yeah!” Sora cried.

“You tell ‘em, Captain Goofy!” Donald cheered.

“I got promoted to captain?” Goofy pondered. “All right! Does this mean I get to drive the – “

“NO!” Donald snapped.

“I believe you misunderstand,” Xemnas went on. “Our continued coexistence is only possible thanks to artificial bodies used to house our displaced consciousnesses.”

“Arti…what?” Sora shook his head.

“He means they were made from scratch,” Goofy translated.

“But how?” Sora asked.

To that, Xemnas only chuckled. Then, he changed the subject: “Do not misunderstand my words. Little would please me more than Roxas’ return…even though it pays to have more than one iron in the fire.”

“He’d never answer to you again!” Sora argued.

“Still so blind,” Xemnas chided. “A Nobody is what is left behind when one gives his heart to Darkness. There is a simple way you can allow for Roxas’ return: to give up your own heart and let him once more take form. Then, he can assume his true destiny. Sora…will you finally accept the Darkness into your heart?”

“What?” Sora gasped. Something was wrong here. Something related to what he had just learned. And then it all clicked. “Hey…you know about the others! I’m not the only one who vanishes if I give up my heart. What do you want with them? Who are they?”

Xemnas’ laugh was louder, clearer now. “Either you are more intelligent than I expected…or someone was loose-lipped. The latter would surprise me less. In any case, if you will not give yourself to the Darkness willingly, then you must be assisted toward that path.”

Xemnas stretched out his hand; all around Sora, Sorcerer Nobodies rose from the ground in swirls of black-and-white thorns. Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s weapons came to hand.

“That’s cheating!” Donald yelled.

“He’s the bad guy!” Goofy reminded him. “I bet he don’t even care!”

“Now,” Xemnas encouraged as a Corridor began to swallow him up, “set your heart free.”

And then he was gone, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy surrounded.

“Not this time.” Sora braced his blade. “Not yet! Not when they’re all counting on me!”

* * *

_Defeat the Sorcerer mob._

* * *

In the aftermath, Sora stood on the grass, contemplating the recent events. “Herc said it’s not the size of your strength that matters,” he muttered, “but the strength of your heart. I have the strength of five there. Four people who are counting on me to protect them. I may not know how to save them yet…but I can at least keep us all from falling to Darkness. I’m not just fighting for me anymore.”

“We’ll help you protect them!” Donald asserted.

“But now we got both Ansem an’ Xemnas to worry about,” Goofy reminded him.

“And if Xemnas was here,” Sora mused, “then I wonder where – “

A sharp, high cry of “SORA!” interrupted his pondering. This was followed by a different voice calling out: “SORA!”

“Huh?” Sora turned to see Kairi and Lea barreling at him, Merlin and Scrooge McDuck in tow. Looks of concern were plastered on the faces of the four, but Sora didn’t seem to notice; “Guys! It’s great to see you! How’s it going!”

“Not good!” Lea insisted as he slowed to a halt in front of Sora. “Sure am glad you’re here. We got a mess to clean up.”

“I can’t believe it!” Scrooge lamented. “She took my little chef! If we can’t get him back, the bistro’ll need to be closed down for good!”

“WHAAAAAAT?” Donald shrieked. “NO! I NEVER GOT TO EAT ANY FANCY FOOD!”

“You were the one running the bistro?” Sora realized.

“And the outdoor theater!” Scrooge said proudly. “Provide the people with a bit of entertainment, and then give folks a nice, cozy place to relax! They’ll all be happy an’ hungry an’ eager ta spend their munny! Why, I’m practically runnin’ this town!” This was punctuated with an almost villainous chortle.

“I’m not sure how I feel about that, ethically speaking,” Kairi broke in. “But I do know we need to get Little Chef back!”

“What happened?” Sora asked.

“That CAD decided to spirit him away for a lark!” Merlin huffed as he stamped his foot. “Her idea of a good day is to make everyone else have a bad day! The only reason she ever does anything is to make people miserable! She’s probably tormenting him right now, the poor thing!”

“Who?” Donald urged. “WHO CLOSED DOWN MY RESTAURANT?”

Merlin folded his arms; “Why, none other than the malicious, the malignant, the macabre Mad Madam Mim!”

“Who?” Sora cocked his head.

“An old rival who follows me through every world I visit!” Merlin harrumphed. “She’ll take any chance to one-up me…including hurting my friends!”

“That’s awful!” Sora cried.

“WE GOTTA FIX THIS RIGHT NOW!” Donald insisted, grabbing Sora by the shirt front and shaking him vigorously.

“Gaaaah!” Sora pried himself away from Donald. “Okay, okay! We’ll save the restaurant!” He gave a raised-brow look to Lea and Kairi. “You guys in?”

“Um…” Kairi looked down, shuffling her feet.

“Yeah, about that…” Lea muttered, also averting his gaze.

“Kairi’s training has been coming along swimmingly since our last encounter,” Merlin informed Sora. “It’s Lea who’s been slacking off and falling behind! I wouldn’t send him to face Mim without an army to back him up!”

“I’m not that bad,” Lea muttered.

“Kairi?” Sora urged.

“I…can’t,” Kairi squeaked. “It’s never been me, remember? I just can’t do it. I’ll get taken away, or worse.”

Sora then looked to Merlin and gave him a firm nod. “Then it’s up to us.” He raised a hand and clenched the fist. “We’ll get your chef back!”

“Where’d this Mad Madam Mim mosey off to?” Goofy asked.

“That’s the trouble!” Merlin huffed. “We can’t be certain! All we know is that she most likely has left a trail of destruction in her wake. Follow the random acts of vandalism, and you’re certain to find Mim!”

“Let’s do it!” Sora proclaimed.

* * *

_Make your way into town until you reach Tram Common._

* * *

As soon as Sora, Donald, and Goofy crossed the threshold into the town center, they found themselves at a loss. “I don’t see anything obvious,” Sora realized as he put a hand over his eyes to look about.

“This square is huge!” Donald huffed. “She could be anywhere!”

“Remember what Merlin said!” Goofy encouraged. “Look for the trail of destruction!”

“Maybe if we get up higher?” Sora wondered. “But then…what if we’re too high up to see anything?”

“Hmm.” Goofy thought it over. “Oh, I know! Your new GummiPhone’s got a camera! You can prob’ly use that to zoom in on things!”

“Oh, that’s right!” Sora realized. “Let’s go!”

* * *

_This segment serves as a GummiPhone camera tutorial. Use Flowmotion to ascend a climbable wall to the tallest central building. From there, tutorial messages will prompt you to access the GummiPhone and take pictures of each segment visible from atop the tower until you have the whole of Tram Common in your files._

* * *

“Okay,” Sora said as he flipped through the images. “Let’s see…”

He used two fingers to zoom in on the entrance to the Sandlot. “There! See those burn marks?”

“It looks like somebody punched a hole in the wall there!” Goofy observed.

“And knocked over that tree!” Donald asserted. “We got her!”

“Looks like she went to the Sandlot,” Sora concluded. “Let’s go!”

* * *

_A menu will then teach you how to discard photos; you do not have to get rid of the Twilight Town images unless you want to. The damaged area would not physically appear in the field map until the tutorial was completed, nor would the game allow you to leave Tram Common by any exit. Now, however, going to the Sandlot entrance will show scorch marks on the ground and a wall with a large hole ripped in it, accented by a felled tree. Enter the Sandlot._

* * *

In the Sandlot, a peculiar woman, short and plump with a shock of violet hair, stood in the center of the open area, surveying her surroundings.

“Hmm,” she mused. “It’s all too pretty here. And we can’t have that!”

She unleashed a colorful burst of sparks that crashed into the Struggle banner overhead, reducing it to smoldering scraps. This was followed up by a hearty chuckle.

“HEY!”

“Hm?” The sound of Sora’s voice prompted the woman to turn and look at where he, Donald, and Goofy had just entered the scene. “Well, someone’s angry. That means I’m doing something right!”

“Are you Mad Madam Mim?” Sora accused.

The woman folded her arms. “Who wants to know? Maybe I am and maybe I’m not.”

“That’s gotta be her!” Donald urged. “YOU! GIVE BACK THE CHEF FOR THE RESTAURANT!”

“Make me!” Mim challenged.

“Sure!” Goofy agreed. “How do we do that?”

Donald let out a long, low groan.

Mim swung her fists through the air; “Why, with some good, old-fashioned violence, of course! If you can manage to beat me up, then maybe I’ll give back your little chef – but I probably won’t!”

“Then we’ll just have to take him back!” Donald urged. “GET HER!”

* * *

_A boss fight against Mim will ensue. I envision it being set to Rowdy Rumble. Mim primarily uses sparking magic attacks that look like fireworks for the first half of the battle. Once her health is half depleted, however…_

_Mim:_ I’ll show you what I can REALLY do! Oh, it’s so awful! I love it!

_Mim will begin to shapeshift into various forms. She will switch between human, snake, and rhinoceros. As a human, she still relies on magic-based attacks that can be ranged. As a snake, she attacks with high speed from the ground and is difficult to follow, dealing damage as bites. As a rhinoceros, she is easier to target and follow, but will barrel directly into Sora, Donald, and Goofy, taking out portions of their HP at a time. However, this boss battle is relatively easy._

* * *

“Ooohhhh…I HAAAATE YOUUUU!” Mim yelled as she collapsed into a sitting position on the ground, pounding the stones with her fists. “HATE, HATE, HATE, HAAAAATE! You know what?”

She reached into an unseen pocket, retrieving something small, gray, and fuzzy. “Take him!” she seethed. “I didn’t want him anyway!”

And with that, she pitched the item at Sora, who thought fast and caught it with only a slight fumble.

“I’ll be back; mark my words!” Mim threatened. “And that lousy Merlin better be brave enough to face me himself this time!”

With that, she vanished in a shower of sparks.

“Glad that’s over,” Sora sighed. He then looked down to what, exactly, was in his hands. “OH, NO!”

By then, Lea, Kairi, Merlin, and Scrooge had caught up. “Good show, my boy!” Merlin congratulated. “Excellent work tracking her down! I do believe you showed her what’s what!”

“Guys!” Sora extended his hands, palms outward. “She turned your chef into a rat!”

True enough, a small gray rat sat up in Sora’s hands, sniffing the air curiously.

Scrooge couldn’t help but laugh. “No, no, no, me boy! The rat IS Little Chef!”

“WHAT?” Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried as one.

“Turn ‘im over ta me so I can get the bistro back in workin’ order,” Scrooge ordered. “Then come meet me back at the bistro. If ya bring some fresh ingredients, ye get not only an explanation, but a meal on the house.”

“FREE FOOD?” Donald’s eyes popped wide; he began to salivate. “Oh, boy, oh, boy! Sora! Goofy! We’re not goin’ back until we get some ingredients!”

Sora shrugged; “Guess we’re lookin’ around town.”

“I’d try lookin’ around,” Lea suggested. “Never know what you can pick up for free.”

“You could probably also buy some things!” Kairi added.

“Check!” Sora said with a thumbs-up, the other hand still cradling the rat.

* * *

_Scrooge, Merlin, Kairi, and Lea turn and walk away from Sora; the rat has disappeared from Sora’s hand, implying they have him now. Sora once again has free reign to explore Twilight Town. You can collect ingredients from shop purchases or scavenging. Once you have rounded up enough, a cutscene will trigger._

* * *

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Scrooge, Merlin, Kairi, and Lea had gathered around the outdoor table of the bistro, where the Little Chef (whose name was technically Remy, but had no way of telling anyone that) sat eagerly on the tabletop and looked to Sora expectantly.

“Isn’t he adorable?” Kairi cried.

“Even I think he’s a little cutie,” Lea admitted.

“Cute’s got nothin’ ta do with it!” Scrooge asserted. “Sora! Did ya bring the ingredients?”

“Sure thing!” Sora affirmed. “So, uh…how’d you end up with a rat running your restaurant?”

“It’s the most unusual story!” Scrooge related. “It started with me havin’ the best meal of me life durin’ me world travels. I asked ta meet the chef…an’ imagine me surprise when I saw this little fella!”

“After all, there are infinite possibilities out there in all the worlds!” Merlin reminded the group. “It pays to keep an open mind, and remember that anyone has the potential to be anything – even a rat being a chef!”

“So then, I got the grand idea to open up me bistro here!” Scrooge went on. “And the best part is, some of the locals even signed on for part-time jobs helpin’ serve food an’ put up posters advertisin’ films. …For minimum wage, of course.”

“Scrooge!” Kairi cried indignantly, leaning toward him suddenly; he flinched.

“No use changin’ that miser’s mind,” Lea sighed.

“Locals?” Sora repeated. “Wait a minute. Does that mean – “

“Hey! Guys!”

The sound of Hayner’s voice proved Sora’s theory correct. He turned to see the blond hurrying toward him with Olette in tow. “Done with the posters!” Hayner announced as he ground to a halt.

“Aye! Good work, kids!” Scrooge congratulated.

“You guys work for Uncle Scrooge here at the bistro?” Goofy realized.

“Just part-time,” Olette related.

“After all,” Hayner stated, “we gotta have cash for pretzels when we go to the beach!”

“Maybe we can even save up for watermelon this time!” Olette added.

“So are you waiters?” Sora asked.

“And if you are,” Donald urged, “can you take my order?”

“Sometimes we serve food,” Olette affirmed. “But sometimes we do other things. For today’s shift, we put up these special posters. Mr. McDuck’s hosting an open-air film festival in the courtyard. Cool, huh?”

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy leaned in to take a closer look, Olette added, “Oh, Sora! Hold your phone up to the poster!” She indicated a small square that contained a code of pixels in the lower right corner.

With an unsure “’Kaaaay,” Sora did so, photographing the QR code.

“There!” Olette told him. “You’ve just downloaded a redeemable item code as a promo. There are all sorts of these all over Twilight Town, so keep an eye out.”

* * *

_The cutscene will pause to inform you that you have obtained a Hi-Potion from scanning the QR code. A tutorial box will explain that you can seek out more QR codes to obtain more items; if they’re hidden well, they can give you rare drops._

* * *

“ENOUGH ALREADY!” Donald leapt into the air to get the others’ attention. “WHEN ARE WE GONNA MAKE SOME FOOD?”

“Patience, laddie!” Scrooge cautioned. “Though…I s’pose now’s as good a time as any. Though we’ve got ta factor in for the cook time of the meal…”

“I mean, I can help with that,” Sora volunteered.

“No, you can’t,” Kairi corrected. “Mr. McDuck, Sora can’t cook. He shouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen at all. One time, we caught a huge fish back on the Islands, and Sora thought he could fry it – “

“It was only a LITTLE fire!” Sora argued in exasperation.

“Geez, you didn’t even go for a big fire?” Lea teased. “Pathetic. Go big or go home, Sora.”

Remy suddenly began to make excited motions with his paws, drawing all attention. “What is it?” Sora asked. “Something wrong?”

“I do believe he’s simply trying to impart some wisdom,” Merlin guessed. “After all, if he can become a famous chef, then anyone can learn to cook well, even the seemingly hopeless! All it takes is some practice and – “

Remy shook his head vigorously, then made a flying leap to nestle in Sora’s spiky hair. He grasped two of the pointed locks, then pulled hard.

“WHOA!” Sora was jerked back off one foot, arms flailing. “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

Remy steered Sora toward the bistro doors, and Sora’s feet obeyed. “GUYS!” he screamed. “HELP! I’M NOT DOING THIS! LITTLE CHEF HAS TAKEN OVER ME!”

“At least this way we might get some edible food,” Kairi said before everyone else erupted into laughter.

* * *

_This leads into the cooking tutorial. A brief cutscene shows Remy steering Sora to pick up frying pan and spatula before the minigame begins. Choose a dish based on the ingredients you have collected and make it as you would in canon to complete the tutorial._

* * *

Sora reconvened with the others outside the bistro after they’d all eaten their fill. “Mm-mm-mm!” Donald proclaimed as he rubbed his stomach. “That hit the spot!”

“Well, whaddaya know?” Kairi laughed. “Not everything Sora touches in the kitchen gets set on fire after all!”

“He just needs a rat steering him to make it work,” Lea teased.

“You know what?” Sora put his hands on his hips. “I’m gonna practice so much with Little Chef, I WILL learn how to cook, and then you’ll be sorry! Isn’t that right, Little Chef?”

Remy nodded from his vantage point on the table.

“Come back anytime ye’ve got some ingredients to drop off,” Scrooge urged. “For me favorite nephew, no charge – so long as ye provide the food and labor.”

“SCROOGE MCDUCK!” Kairi scolded, stamping her foot. “Do you even have a heart?”

“Aye, lassie,” Scrooge said with a wink, “an’ it’s made o’ gold.”

Merlin shook his head with a sigh; “There’s no use getting through to him. Now, Sora, while I have you here, it’s important to educate you on the value of proper nutrients. Eating a good meal before battle can offer you all sorts of wonderful benefits, such as increased strength and energy, more magical capability, even more stamina! Such is the magic of a balanced diet!”

The ringtone of Sora’s phone suddenly pierced the air once more. “Not that I didn’t wanna hear a lecture on food,” Sora said suddenly, “but I gotta take this call!”

He took a few paces away from the group, who kept chatting behind him, before answering the phone. “Hello?”

This time, the face on the other end was familiar. More than familiar. “Hey, Sora,” Riku greeted.

“RIKU!” Sora cried excitedly, gripping the phone with both hands as a smile practically ripped his face in half. “I missed you! Where are you?”

“I missed you too,” Riku said with a nod. “I was hoping to catch you before we left the tower, but you were taking too long.”

“Hey!” Sora argued. “I had important stuff to do, okay? I didn’t wanna miss you, either!”

Riku smiled, giving a brief “Hm” that Sora knew was a laugh.

“Are those new clothes?” Sora gaped. “That’s so awesome! And you cut your hair!”

“Yeah,” Riku affirmed. “Master Yen Sid has a new look for you, too. I’ll give it to you when we meet up.”

“Meet up?” Sora’s eyes sparkled. “When? Where?”

“It’s gonna be dangerous,” Riku warned. “You still in?”

“Of course!”

“Mickey and I tracked Master Aqua’s progress through the Realm of Darkness,” Riku explained. “It looks like she had some kind of connection with that old door in our secret place on the island.”

Sora then realized he could recognize the background behind Riku: clear blue skies, fluffy white clouds. “You went home!”

“Yeah, but not for long. Mickey and I have already had a rough time with the first couple trips into the Darkness. We think if we break in from this door, using the King’s Keyblade, we can find Aqua faster and avoid more of the nasty things down there. But I wanted a little more insurance than that.”

“You want me to come along and help?” Sora asked excitedly.

“I will say Mickey wasn’t sure,” Riku clarified. “He knew you were still bouncing back from having your power drained. But the Sora I know wouldn’t let that stop him. Besides, it’d be a chance to one-up me at my own mission. Wouldn’t pass that up, would you?”

“No way!” Sora affirmed. “Okay. Stay where you are; I’ll bring Donald and Goofy! With all of us working together, we can find Aqua in no time!”

Riku nodded. “Just don’t take too long to show up this time, or we’ll have to leave without you again.”

“Not a chance!”

The connection broke, and Sora rushed back to the table. “Guys!” he announced. “Riku wants us to meet him on the island! He thinks he has a way to find Aqua!”

“Is the King with him?” Goofy asked eagerly.

“Yep!” Sora affirmed. “You can come with and catch up with him!”

“We haven’t gotten to do that in forever!” Donald groaned.

“It’ll be dangerous,” Sora reiterated, “but it’s the right thing to do. Besides, all together, we’re strong enough, and with Riku and the King on our side, we’ll definitely be able to pull through!”

Goofy and Donald nodded assent.

“I hope you don’t mind if I hang back,” Kairi said rather sheepishly. “I wanna brush up on my training some more before any actual danger gets involved.”

“And I refuse to let Lea go given his recent marks,” Merlin huffed.

“Fiiiiine,” Lea groaned. “Kairi’s gonna need a sparring partner anyway. But can’t we at least sit down for lunch first?”

“You did just tell us about the importance of good nutrition,” Kairi reminded Merlin.

“That I did,” the wizard agreed. “Very well. Have a seat.”

Hayner pulled out a chair and gestured from Kairi to it; “Your chair, mademoiselle!”

“Here you go!” Olette did the same for Lea.

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran off, Kairi and Lea were seated, and Hayner and Olette worked together to write down their order.

* * *

_You will receive the Shooting Star Keyblade with the Double Arrowgun formchange._

_The scene will transition directly into the next Gummi mission. Destiny Islands will not be marked on the map to revisit, but rather will serve as a one-time trip._

_Sora:_ We’re on our way, Riku!

 _Goofy:_ Gawrsh! I’m not sure we’ve ever seen your place, Sora!

 _Donald:_ It’s gonna be like a tropical vacation!

_The road to the Destiny Islands will be quick, like the mission to Twilight Town. Sandbars containing small pools of ocean water and palm trees act as the primary obstacles to circumvent. The color scheme is mostly pure blue, with the trees a vibrant green and the sandbars a warm tan._

* * *

As Sora walked across the beach of the island where he would play as a child, he spread out his arms, turning his face up to the sky. “Good to be home,” he muttered.

“I could get used to this!” Donald proclaimed. “All I need is a cool lemonade and some shade!”

“We’re not here for a vacation, Donald!” Goofy reminded him. “We’re on important business!”

“Let’s see…” Sora turned his gaze ahead to the hollow where the spring was fed by the tiny waterfall. “Oh!”

Riku and Mickey were deep in conversation in the sands just before the spring.

“RIKU!” Sora cried, breaking into a full-tilt run.

“Huh – Sora?” Riku barely had time to perceive what was happening before he was hit by the force of what seemed to be a small, Sora-shaped meteorite.

“Oh, no,” Donald groaned. “Here we go again…”

Riku was knocked down into the sand by Sora’s fervent hug. “Oops,” Sora laughed from their position on the ground. “Guess I shoulda warned ya.”

“No…you’re Sora,” Riku laughed. “I should’ve expected it.”

They peeled themselves out of the sand, rising to their feet and dusting themselves off. “Feels kinda like old times,” Riku remarked. “You and me, in this place.”

“A lot sure has changed since then,” Sora realized. “But I’m glad it did. We’ve been on all sorts of fun adventures!”

Riku smiled. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of you being an optimist.”

“So, you have a lead on Aqua?” Sora asked.

Mickey approached. “Hi, Sora!” he greeted. “As a matter of fact, we do! I’ve been retracing my journey with Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, and the last place I saw her, before we lost all trace, was in this very world when it had fallen to Darkness and become part of the End of the World. We had to use the door that normally leads to the heart of this world to find my Keyblade and seal the door to Ansem’s Kingdom Hearts.”

“I remember now!” Sora realized.

“So ya think there’s a connection?” Goofy realized. “Between that place an’ this one?”

“It’s the same place, dummy!” Donald barked. “I’m surprised nobody thought of it earlier!”

Mickey chortled; “Don’t ever change, you two.”

“We missed ya, Mickey!” Goofy laughed.

“I can’t believe you went this long without us and didn’t go and get yourself lost again,” Donald teased.

“Are you kidding?” Mickey replied. “With you guys countin’ on me? I couldn’t! But now, Aqua is counting on us, too.” He turned to look up at Sora specifically. “Sora, are you sure you’re ready to brave the Realm of Darkness? It’s not gonna be easy.”

“And that’s gonna be part of the fun,” Sora told him. “I mean, we’re all gonna work together, right?”

“That’s the only way we can do it,” Mickey affirmed.

“I knew you couldn’t resist,” Riku teased with a wink. “You really wanna relive the old days? Then let’s go fight some Darkness together.”

“All right!” Sora cried, clearly pumped.

“Oh, that’s right.” Riku reached behind him, picking up a large black briefcase. “These clothes should protect you better from the Darkness we’re about to face.”

“The Three Fairies made them special for ya!” Mickey added.

“Okay!” Sora gratefully took the case into hand. “Gimme a sec…” His eyes wandered to the old cabana. “Be right back!”

* * *

Sora was now clothed in his new garments, mostly black with hints of red and a jaunty line of gold buttons down the shirt front. He turned back and forth in front of Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy to show it off. “Soooo? How do I look?”

“It suits you,” Riku said with an earnest smile.

“Heyyy…” Sora realized. “How come mine’s not as cool as yours?”

“Like you even have to ask,” Riku teased. “It’s ‘cause I’m cooler than you all around.”

“You know what? YOU KNOW WHAT?” Sora made a show of pretending to get angry before he laughed and said, “You’re right, Master Riku!”

“Sora,” Mickey said, “it’s your call when to enter the Realm of Darkness. When you’re ready, then go through the tunnel and wait by the door. I’ll be along to open it up.”

Sora gave Mickey a thumbs-up. “Okay!”

“I figured you might wanna look around a little first,” Riku stated. “Since it’s your first time being home in a while.”

“Yeah!” Sora agreed. “Just gimme a second to take it all in, and I’ll be ready!”

* * *

_You are now free to explore a small map that is a redux version of the Destiny Islands beach. There are some chests hidden around here that hold items that aren’t necessary for game completion, but will make the road ahead easier – Potions, Ethers, some synthesis materials. There are also some ingredients hidden here. Talk to Mickey, Riku, Donald, or Goofy to get the following dialogue:_

_Riku:_ Almost wish we could stay longer. We’ll just have to make sure to come back after all this is over. We still have a score to settle, you know.

 _Mickey:_ We’re close to Aqua! I just know it!

 _Goofy:_ Gawrsh, I could get used ta this!

 _Donald:_ Ahhh…can’t I stay out here and sunbathe?

_When you’re ready, proceed into the tunnel. The map will transition to the cavern from Kingdom Hearts 1. Approach the door and a triangle-activated reaction command will appear. Activate the command; you will be asked, “Are you ready to brave the Darkness?” If you say “No thanks!”, you can continue to explore the island and look for chests and ingredients. If you say “Ready as I’ll ever be!”, the next cutscene triggers._

* * *

The five gathered within the small cavern, huddling around Mickey. The mouse-king put out his hand, and in a flash, a brand-new Keyblade, the Star Cluster, appeared in his clutch.

“Here we go, fellas,” he said decisively. “No turnin’ back now.”

The Keyblade shone with a bright light; stars swirled around its shaft before a sparkling beam shot toward the wooden door with no handle. The golden outline of a Keyhole shone into place around the beam, then the door, for the first time Sora had ever seen in his life, swung open.

Beyond was pitch blackness. There really was no going back.

Sora gave Riku a nudge. “Race ya.”

Riku barely had enough time to say “Wha – “

And then Sora had taken off, barreling into the Darkness without a second thought.

“HEY!” Riku laughed, hurtling after him. “SLOW DOWN!”

“Let’s go, fellas!” Goofy cried; he, Mickey, and Donald all tried to hit the door at the same time, and bounced back off the frame from reaching it as a unit. After some muttered squabbling, they organized themselves single file and followed.

Then the door slammed shut behind them.

* * *

Sora was surrounded by what appeared to be black rock formations in an open, cavern-like area. The stone that made up the ground was jet-black; the sky was barely lighter, allowing just enough light by which to see.

“Whoa…” he muttered. The last time he’d been here, it was on the shore where he and Riku had vowed to be Darkness together. Somehow, it hadn’t seemed so bleak then.

The sound of footsteps alerted him to the fact that Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had caught up to him.

“This place is even creepier than the old mansion,” Goofy said worriedly.

“Hurry up so we can get outta here!” Donald cried.

“This is where you’ve been exploring all this time?” Sora asked Riku.

“Yeah,” Riku replied with a slight smile. “Starts to feel like home after so much time.” He looked away, straight ahead. “But it never really feels…right.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Sora told him. “You’ve got your team with you now. And I bet once we find Aqua, she’ll be happy to help us find our way back.”

Riku gave another slight laugh. “Yeah. Thanks, Sora.”

“You can thank me by not going on all these cool adventures without me!” Sora teased. “Or at least wait to say goodbye first.”

Now Riku’s laugh was louder, longer.

“Okay, fellas.” Mickey took the lead. “Let’s get goin’. There’s some nasty stuff waitin’ in this place, and I don’t wanna be around when it catches up to us.”

* * *

TITLE CARD: REALM OF DARKNESS

* * *

_The next segment will be a path similar to the “Depths of Darkness” stage of A Fragmentary Passage; Sora now has a full party of Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. With Riku, you gain the Double Duel team attack ability, though with Sora in place of Mickey. With Mickey, you gain the Faith Volley team attack ability. If you take a photo of any of your party members, Donald and Goofy’s dialogue remains the same as canon, but as I don’t think you can at any point photograph Mickey or Riku, here is some new dialogue for them:_

_Mickey (giving a thumbs-up):_ Whenever you’re ready, pal! My ears look good from any angle!

 _Riku (straightening up and giving the camera a side-eye smirk):_ Hey, at least wait until I’m ready. I have a reputation to keep up!

_The Heartless that populate the area are Purebloods the likes of which you would see in Fragmentary Passage: Shadows, Neo-Shadows, elemental Core types, etc. There will be some random encounters and mobs. Some areas also require light platforming and terrain navigation. Once the end of the road is reached, a cutscene will trigger._

* * *

They sat on the beach, the way they had for so long now. Their only haven. The only place they felt relatively safe.

“Tell me,” Ansem asked, “will you stay here?”

Aqua looked to him from where she sat on the beach, then nodded. “I can’t shake the feeling that these waters touch another shore I’ve visited.”

“The Destiny Islands,” Ansem identified.

Aqua was taken aback; “You’ve heard of them?”

“Yes,” Ansem affirmed, gesturing for effect. “They are quite lovely – a far cry from this wasteland.”

Aqua folded her arms over her knees where she sat, then looked out to the water. “I’m staying,” she said with a sincere smile. “Someone will come for me.”

“These waters are the in-between of Dark and Light,” Ansem explained, “their shores the margins of day and night. They brought you and I together, so why not also you and another?”

Aqua smiled up at him again. “That sounded like a poem.”

“A verse I once read to a young charge of mine,” Ansem said wistfully.

“Someone you’re waiting to see when you get out?” Aqua asked.

“If he will forgive me.” Ansem’s tone dripped with regret. “If he does not still wish to harm me. I fear we have both crossed a line we may never retread. Yet I still hold onto hope that he may be reached…and that I may have a second chance to see him.”

“I hope you can find him,” Aqua said sincerely.

The sudden sound of footprints in the sand alerted them to the approaching visitor. Alas, Sora’s party was not the first to find them.

Aqua and Ansem turned around to look behind, startled. “Who’s there?” Aqua asked.

The man was tall, with a cascading waterfall of white hair. Xehanort, Aqua thought; yet not quite. He wore clothing that reminded her of Master Xehanort’s – deep gray overcoat lined with red, white waistcoat, black trousers and boots, stark white gloves. A shiver ran down her spine. This man incited a feeling in her that no incarnation of Xehanort yet had managed to: a deep, twisted fear that everything was about to go horribly wrong.

The way Ansem growled “You…” at the visitor only seemed to confirm the hypothesis. Aqua leapt to her feet, bracing for battle; her Keyblade – the Master’s Defender - shone in hand.

The visitor gave a low chuckle. “Darkness in Zero. That is all you are.”

“I am Ansem,” Ansem corrected. “Once, your teacher and mentor.”

“No,” the other said smugly. “I am Ansem. I ascended to that name once you proved too weak to hold it. It and all it entails belong to me. And you were never any master of mine.”

“What do you want?” Aqua seethed.

“A word with Darkness in Zero,” Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, taunted.

“And what makes you think I will give you such a word,” Ansem the Wise countered, “if you continue to mock me so?”

“The experiments of the heart you bade my previous body cease,” the Seeker of Darkness stated. “They mean little to me, and yet all to the one I now serve, the one who will bring about final, everlasting Darkness. He seeks the knowledge you possess: of Light and of Dark, of hearts and of souls, of duplicates and of memories. But most of all, he seeks to tie up a loose end.” He advanced closer to the Wise, using his height to intimidate. “Subject X.”

The Wise bristled. “I have not heard that name in many years.”

“You recall her mind was a void,” the Seeker of Darkness related. “All memory erased, much as Xehanort’s was when he came under your care.”

“Aren’t you Xehanort?” Aqua growled.

The Seeker chuckled. “As I told you: I am Ansem. The true Ansem.”

“What do you want with Subject X?” the Wise asked.

“You reconstructed Sora’s memories with the help of the witch,” the Seeker stated. “The Master wishes you to do so again with Subject X. To bring forth her memories. He believes invaluable information locked within. In fact…I, personally, believe you already have seen them. That you know things you were not meant to know, and understand nothing of what to do with them.”

“I haven’t any idea where she is,” the Wise argued. “She was stolen from me by you and the other traitors. How could you possibly have lost her? Are you so incompetent?”

The Seeker’s hands balled into fists; the great Guardian Heartless rose from his back, sprouting between the shoulder blades until it hovered, taller and broader than the Seeker himself. “That was not me,” the Seeker growled. “But I retain his memories, and it was he from whom the girl was stolen. It could only have been your doing. You wished to deprive your apprentices of her: to halt their experiments by force. But your doom was inevitable. Your fate was sealed the moment you welcomed Xehanort over your threshold. The moment I was brought into being.”

“Then there seems to be foul play at work,” the Wise observed. “A third party has obviously concealed the location of the girl from both of us…which is even more worrisome than the truth I had assumed.”

The Seeker looked the Wise up and down, brow furrowing. He then made his assessment: “Liar.”

He put out a hand toward the Wise only to see it knocked away by the woman who stood as the Wise’s protector. Aqua stood tall before the Wise, Keyblade braced. “I think you should go,” she seethed.

Ansem seemed amused, as betrayed by his smirk; “A lost guardian of light? And one whose heart shines so brightly. Surely this should be proof that Darkness claims all in the end. Even this heart’s resolve was not enough to save her. Soon, the Darkness within shall match the Darkness without and claim her entirely. Hardly worth my time.”

And then, without warning, the Guardian slammed a fist into Aqua, knocking her back across the sands.

She recovered, skidding, kicking up sand on the soles of her metal boots. She rushed ahead, slashing Master’s Defender along the way. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” she cried.

With a sadistic laugh, Ansem threw back his head and hands; glistening electricity crackled beneath him, erupting into a shockwave that threw Aqua aside. She landed limp where the sand hardened into dirt, rolling over and over.

This was the scene to which Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy arrived.

“Is that – “ Riku gasped.

“ANSEM!” Sora cried.

“And the other Ansem!” Goofy realized.

“AQUAAAAA!” Mickey rushed to the fallen woman’s side. “Aqua – no – please be okay – “ After an examination, he determined that she was still breathing. “She’s okay,” he informed the others, “but she’s out cold!”

The Seeker’s gaze had turned toward the new visitors. “You,” he seethed.

“YOU!” Sora yelled in return, pointing at him.

“All the better,” the Seeker proclaimed. “The more Lights are gathered here, the more Lights can be eliminated!”

“Why would you want that?” Riku yelled. “You need the Seven Lights to have the Keyblade War, don’t you?”

“Perhaps,” the Seeker posed. “But there are other ways to bring about the end of all. And what the other vessels don’t know will only harm them in ways they cannot see.”

“You’re a monster!” Donald accused.

To this, the Seeker began to laugh once more. “I will finally prove to you, once and for all, that DARKNESS CONQUERS ALL!”

“SORA, NO!” Ansem the Wise rushed toward the group, arm outstretched. “You must run! Before it is too – “

A Corridor swallowed him up before he could finish.

“ANSEM!” Sora cried in anguish.

“No…” Mickey took a step back, shaking his head. “No, no, no – “

“Did you believe the power of friendship would prevent such a fate?” the only Ansem left chuckled. “Did you believe the Light would shine through for you in this place? Now you see before you the true nature of all. Nothing escapes. Nothing survives! But if you still choose not to believe me…then I shall have to demonstrate on something that will leave a bigger mark.”

His eyes were fixed on Aqua.

“NO!” Sora and Riku bellowed as one, surging toward Ansem.

Ansem had expected this; he recoiled, feet lifting off the ground as he hovered over the beach. “FACE ME IN THE FINAL COMBAT!” he urged. “MEET YOUR DESTINED END!”

“You’re wrong about the Darkness!” Riku growled. “There’s ALWAYS a way out!” His

Way to the Dawn Keyblade flashed into hand.

“You’re the one who needs to learn!” Sora cried. “Friendship and strong hearts always win!”

As Mickey, Donald, and Goofy skidded in alongside the two boys, Ansem laughed, “THEN LET’S PUT IT TO THE TEST!” Only then did they notice they were being enveloped in a massive cyclone of pure Darkness, blotting out all they saw.

“RIKU!” Sora yelled.

“SORA!” Riku called back. “I’M HERE!”

Then all was black.

* * *

_The Darkness clears to show Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy floating in midair in a dark abyss. Ansem appears before them as his second form from Dream Drop Distance’s boss battle._

_Ansem:_ ALL THE TRAGEDY AND MISERY YOU HAVE WITNESSED, AND STILL YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING!

_The boss mechanics are the same as in DDD, save for the fact that you are also in flight, and the attacks will also come more often and deal more damage for harder difficulty. Now, you also have access to the True End team attack with Riku and Mickey, but since it is aerial, they point their Keyblades at each other instead of the ground; the light sigil still forms beneath them and the crystals around them. The pillar will aim directly at Ansem. When Ansem’s health is whittled down to the very last, he must be finished with a True End command._

* * *

The beach surrounded them once more. Ansem staggered back, clutching one arm in the opposite hand as he doubled over, Guardian dissipating.

“This…is not…over,” he hissed as he backed into a Corridor. “All you have done…is ensured the true Darkness…at the Fated Place.”

And then he was gone.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Riku realized. “No matter what happens…if we fail, if we triumph…either the worlds lose their guardians, or we have to face the Darknesses and bring about the end. Maybe…maybe Ansem is right. What if Darkness is the only ending for – “

“Don’t say that!” Sora urged quickly, stepping out in front of Riku to look him in the eye. “We made it this far, didn’t we? There’s gotta be a way we can end this once and for all! But we can’t give up! Because if he is right…if failure is the only option…then that means we have nothing to lose by trying! It’s better than doing nothing!”

Riku gaped at Sora, wide-eyed, before breaking into a long, loud laugh.

“…Riku?” Sora asked softly. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Riku assured, smiling at Sora. “I’m more than okay. I’ve got you for a friend. You always see the Light, even when it’s Darkest.”

“…Not always,” Sora admitted. “When I first started…when I lost the Islands, and Kairi…when I lost you…I felt lost, too. The whole time, while I was having adventures and making new friends, I felt sad on the inside. Luckily, Donald and Goofy were there to help cheer me up.”

“No sad faces, remember?” Donald urged.

“But in the end,” Sora reiterated, “I still needed you. I knew my journey couldn’t be over until I had brought you back home. I mean it when I say my friends are my power, Riku. Sometimes, I feel the same way, too. Like Darkness is the only end. But what gets me through it is knowing I have you – and all my other friends – to stand with me.” He pumped a fist; “So I’m gonna stand by you until you feel strong!”

“Thanks, Sora,” Riku said, almost on the verge of tears. “It means a lot.”

“FELLAS!” Mickey cried from further up the bank. Riku, Sora, and Donald turned to see Mickey and Goofy huddled over Aqua.

“I think she’s comin’ to!” Goofy alerted.

Sora, Riku, and Donald hustled over to Aqua as quickly as they could. Sora skidded into the lead, kneeling over Aqua, gently taking her by the shoulders as he looked down into her sleeping face. “Aqua. Aqua! Wake up!”

Slowly, Aqua pried her eyes open. Through blurry vision, she could make out the figure jostling her, encouraging her to come back to consciousness. “Ven…?”

Something about that word stirred a sense of familiarity in Sora. “Huh?”

Her vision cleared. She could see the person hovering over her now. It wasn’t Ven after all. He didn’t even look a thing like Ven. But she knew why he would, to her.

And she wanted payback.

“Vanitas,” she growled, shoving Sora away from her and leaping to her feet.

“WHOA!” Sora backed off, eyes wide. “What’s going on?”

Master’s Defender shimmered into Aqua’s hand. “I’m not going to let you hurt my friends again,” she growled.

“Whoa, whoa, Aqua!” Mickey cried. “He’s not who you think he is!”

Aqua gasped, her eyes adjusting to the dark. No. This boy could have been a body double for Vanitas, but the colors were wrong. His hair, his eyes. And most importantly, the way his face looked so earnest, going from concerned to afraid on a moment’s notice. Not the cold, hard façade of lies Aqua was used to.

“Who…who are you?” she asked gingerly.

“Wait a minute,” Sora realized. “You’re…familiar. Why do I know you?”

“The island!” Riku gasped. “You’re her! Sora…you remember?”

Sora’s jaw dropped. “It’s you! This whole time, it was you!”

“It was…” Aqua looked from one boy to the other and back again. “You’re the boys from the islands. Sora and Riku. Has it really been that long? You’re…you’re grown-up, now.”

“We came to rescue you,” Sora asserted as he stepped forward. “It’s okay. You don’t have to wander alone anymore. We can bring you back to the Light.”

“Is it true?” Aqua asked softly. “After all this time…”

“I promised to come back for ya, didn’t I?” Mickey posed. “I’ve got the way out in my hand!” He held up the Star Cluster Keyblade. “You’re goin’ home, Aqua.”

“Home…” Aqua repeated.

Then, overcome by relief, the weight of the worlds simultaneously lifting from and settling on her shoulders, she collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

“I waited,” she gasped. “I waited for years. Sometimes, I thought I should give up. I was starting to think you would never come…that I…”

And then she couldn’t form words.

“Aww,” Donald said softly.

Goofy approached her gingerly, placing a light hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay! We’re gonna take you someplace safe.”

“Where can I go?” Aqua sobbed. “My home…Departure…I sealed it away…”

“We’ll bring you somewhere you can get some rest,” Mickey promised. “It’s over, Aqua.”

She still needed time to cry, to emit the last of her pent-up feelings, and the others watched over her in a ring, ensuring no more harm would come to her.

* * *

The conversation continued once she’d been safely brought back to the Destiny Islands beach, where she was at first nearly blinded by the light, but then absorbed it as if photosynthesizing, turning her face and her palms up to the sun.

“I can’t believe it,” she murmured. “I’m finally here again.”

“It must’ve been awful,” Sora realized. “Wandering in the dark by yourself for years.”

“I’ve seen things I’ll never forget,” Aqua affirmed. “But it only made me stronger. And in the end, I had a friend. Ansem.”

The mention of the name caused the five rescuers to hang their heads in defeat. “Ansem,” Sora repeated. “We couldn’t save him.”

“I finally had hope that we hadn’t lost my old pal for good,” Mickey sighed, “and now, he just might be gone forever.”

“…Don’t say that,” Riku told Mickey, raising his head. “All of us have been lost in the Dark, and all of us have been found. It took ten years to find Aqua, didn’t it? So long as you hold out hope for Ansem…your heart will lead you back to him.”

“Everyone we’ve lost can come home,” Sora insisted.

“Everyone – “ Aqua suddenly gasped. “Ven! TERRA!” She whirled around to face the others. “I need to go back to the castle. I need to wake Ven up! I promised! And then…Terra…” She turned her head away. “Xehanort did something to him. I don’t know if he even can be saved. I tried, but…”

“It’ll be okay, Aqua!” Mickey asserted.

“Will it?” Donald posed. “If Terra’s one of those Xehanorts, then how’re we gonna get him back?”

“There’s gotta be a way!” Goofy insisted.

“What about Ven?” Riku asked. “What can we do for him?”

“He needs…someone to believe in him,” Aqua muttered. “Someone to call him home. And something to wake up his sleeping heart.”

“The Power of Waking,” Riku realized. “I think…I might be able to save Ven.”

“You can?” Aqua cried. “Then we have to go! Right now! Ven’s been waiting for me for years – “

“Wait,” Sora broke in. “…Ten years? It…might not be that easy after all.”

“Why not?” Aqua asked.

“What did Ven look like?” Sora asked. “Did he…did he look like Roxas?”

“Now that ya mention it,” Mickey realized, “they did look a whole lot alike!”

“And I look like someone named Vanitas,” Sora added.

“I see it now!” Mickey realized. “I didn’t at first because Vanitas was so…” He shivered. “Awful. You might look like him, but the two of you couldn’t be more different.”

“I think…that answers a question I had,” Sora realized. “Even and Ienzo said that the data Ansem left on my heart showed that I had four other hearts within me. Ienzo also said it was weird that Roxas didn’t look like me. Two of the hearts were ten years old. As in they spent ten years inside mine. I think…maybe…those hearts might be Ven and Vanitas.”

Aqua stepped closer to Sora, looking him up and down. Then she gasped, recoiling. “Ven…” she said softly. “I think you’re right.”

“And that means Riku’s Power of Waking will be useless,” Sora concluded. “It has to be mine, or else it won’t work, because Ven’s heart is inside of me. Riku can’t put that back. But…I don’t have the Power of Waking yet, so I don’t think it can work. We need some more time.”

“And if this Vanitas is as bad as you say,” Riku added, “and Sora accidentally puts the wrong one back…”

Aqua shook her head. “We can’t risk that. We have to be sure it’s Ven we’re bringing back.”

“Even and Ienzo could prove if I’m right,” Sora realized, “but they’d’ve called if they found anything.”

“Couldn’t ya call them instead?” Goofy posed.

“I…don’t really want Even to pick up,” Sora admitted.

Goofy and Donald both cringed. “Good idea,” Donald affirmed.

“Then what happens now?” Aqua asked.

“We go back to Twilight Town and regroup,” Mickey stated. “And you can get some rest. Some real rest.”

* * *

Back in Twilight Town, Mickey, Riku, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aqua had met up with Merlin, Lea, and Kairi on Sunset Hill.

“ – And that’s how we found Aqua,” Sora concluded.

“Well, this is certainly a special surprise!” Merlin declared. “My dear girl, you must’ve been through some truly harrowing things!”

“Everything from the Heartless to my own demons,” Aqua said with a nod. “But I made it through. I had friends I could count on, and the strength to protect myself until they could show up.”

“I wish I could get that strong,” Kairi lamented, shuffling her feet.

Aqua gave her a warm smile. “You can. I know it. All you have to do is – “ Her brow furrowed. “Wait. That necklace.”

“Oh, this?” Kairi held up her pendant charm in two fingers. “I’ve always had this, since before I can remember. Why?”

“I charmed a necklace that looked like that once,” Aqua recalled. “She was a little girl who looked just like you. I made sure that necklace would bring her help whenever she needed it – “ It dawned on her. “You were that girl! You’re Kairi from Radiant Garden!”

“I thought you looked familiar!” Kairi was aglow. “I remember you now! I barely remember anything else besides what you looked like, but I thought you were so nice!”

“And you became best friends with Sora and Riku?” Aqua laughed. “There really is such a thing as destiny.”

“Sooooo,” Lea volunteered, “you wouldn’t happen to have a few Keyblade Master tricks you could show a remedial student, would ya? …I’m askin’ for Kairi’s sake. I already know the Keyblade inside and out.”

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Merlin scolded. “Not when Kairi is still so self-conscious about her skill level!”

“Oop!” Lea pressed a hand to his mouth. “Sorry. Guess I didn’t have that one memorized.”

“It’s okay,” Kairi reassured him. “We could both use some pointers.”

“I wouldn’t mind showing you a few things,” Aqua stated. “It’s the least I could do after you all came to save me.”

“Be sure to get your rest first,” Merlin told her. “You’ve had quite the escapade, and I won’t have you wearing yourself out!”

Riku and Kairi approached Sora from either side. “So what happens now?” Kairi asked.

“Are you going to go looking for Ansem?” Riku added. “Or a way to gain the Power of Waking?”

“I’m not sure where to start,” Sora admitted.

“In the past,” Goofy volunteered up, “we’ve always just picked a direction and committed to it! And wherever we ended up happened to be the place we needed to be!”

“We can’t just fly around with no direction!” Donald growled.

Sora shrugged; “Why not? It’s worked all the other times. It’s like Master Yen Sid said:” He deepened his voice. “‘May your heart be your guiding key.’”

Riku snorted. “Sora. Your impressions are terrible.”

“I’m working on it!” Sora retorted. “Anyway, I’m gonna let my heart be my guiding key. Wherever it takes me is wherever I need to be!”

“And we’ll be right there with ya!” Goofy vowed.

“To the very end!” Donald promised.

“Stay safe out there!” Kairi told them.

“Don’t get into too much trouble,” Riku said mischievously. “Can’t always expect me to bail you out.”

Then they all shared a hearty laugh.

* * *

_You have free reign to walk around Twilight Town again. Prepare for the next mission by cooking food and purchasing items. Donald and Goofy will follow, but you can talk to any of the group remaining on Sunset Hill._

_Aqua:_ I can’t believe it. Have ten years really passed? Nothing’s familiar anymore. I have to learn it all over again. But it’s better than spending one more minute in the Darkness.

 _Kairi:_ All this time, Aqua was protecting me, and I didn’t even know it! I owe her a big one!

 _Riku:_ I don’t like that Ansem – the bad Ansem – is back out there causing trouble. But if we could handle him last time, we can take him this time.

 _Mickey:_ This town’ll make a perfect place for Aqua to rest up after her long journey! It’s pretty quiet! …Mostly.

 _Merlin:_ A Keyblade Master of old! You know, in her era, they used different techniques, such as armor to ward off the Darkness and skimmers for travel. Quite primitive and prone to flaws, of course. The Gummi ship is much safer.

_You can also take pictures of the group. Riku and Mickey’s dialogue is the same as before, but these are new:_

_Aqua (straightening up):_ Oh…okay. Like this? I’m not used to this.

 _Kairi (putting her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels):_ You better not take a bad picture of me!

 _Lea (leaning on one hip casually):_ I don’t have a bad side.

 _Merlin (maintaining his standard posture):_ I don’t have time to waste on that! …Well, maybe ONE photograph won’t hurt.

_You can also find Hayner, Olette, and Scrooge at the bistro. Dialogue:_

_Hayner:_ I’m working my way up to be as rich as Scrooge! Just watch!

 _Olette:_ This gig may not pay much, but it sure beats laying around doing nothing. Hayner might disagree, though.

 _Scrooge:_ Remember ta keep yer eye out for ingredients on yer travels! Ya never know what ye might find!

_Photo quotes:_

_Hayner (puffing out his chest and pointing a thumb toward himself):_ You’re gonna wanna remember me!

 _Olette (putting her hands behind her back and smiling):_ I’m honored you wanna keep my picture!

 _Scrooge (hands on hips):_ I better not catch ye auctionin’ that photo off, laddie!

_When you’re done here, you can use a Save Point to proceed to the Gummi map. Two new worlds have opened up for travel: TOY BOX and KINGDOM OF CORONA._


	4. Toy Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I wanna thank everyone who’s supported me thus far with this fic! This world visit will pull some material from the Toy Story spinoff animated series “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command”; it might be good to be passingly familiar with its concept before diving in. (As a forewarning, Disney animated series that extend the canons of the films are kind of my life, and this will not be the last you see out of that genre!) Also, I am eliminating all references to Yozora, Verum Rex, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. …Well, except the Gigas, but I feel like those are pretty divorceable from that context. (You can probably see where this is going.)

_You may select either Toy Box or Corona to fly to (or you can choose to return to Olympus if you want to explore places you’ve missed). For the purpose of this hypothetical, we shall assume you have selected Toy Box. Once the world is selected, a cutscene triggers._

* * *

“SORA!”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had nearly reached the exit to Tram Common when they heard the voice call out behind them. Turning, they saw Riku rushing to catch up to them.

“Hey, Riku!” Sora greeted. “What’s up?”

Riku halted before him. “I’ve been thinking,” he related, “and I don’t think I should just stand around here waiting for direction on what to do next. But I don’t know what to do.”

“Huh,” Goofy mused. “That’s a puzzler.”

“But you seem to know where you’re going,” Riku pointed out. “More or less. And…we really haven’t caught up in a while. Not since the Mark of Mastery exam. I thought maybe – “

“You wanna come with us?” Sora’s face lit up brightly.

Riku nodded. “Yeah. One more adventure for old times’ sake?”

“Of COURSE!” Sora cried, making fists of excitement. “You and me, Sora and Riku, Light and Dark!” He swung one of those fists through the air. “Let’s do it!”

“Besides,” Riku said cockily, “I wanna rack up my side of the score a little more. Can’t beat you at things if you’re not here, right?”

“Oh, you wish!” Sora leaned toward Riku. “I’m gonna be the one winning!”

“Hey!” Donald protested. “Don’t you think you should ask your crew before adding another person?”

“Would you’ve said no?” Goofy asked.

“…Well, no…” Donald admitted. “Riku’s really strong. That makes him better to hide behind when there’s trouble!”

“If that’s how you act around Sora,” Riku said with wide eyes, “he could definitely use the extra protection.”

“Race ya to the ship!” Sora cried, then took off without even counting down.

“HEY!” Riku yelled after him, breaking into a run. “CHEATER!”

Goofy let out a cheerful chuckle as he and Donald followed the racing pair out of the city.

* * *

_The Gummi route to Toy Box will be lined with alphabet blocks in bright colors. Spinning alphabet blocks will be situated in the midst of the flying lane as obstacles. Occasionally, a jigsaw puzzle will block the way; if you see one coming, start shooting to try and find the weak piece to break and form a small path through. Mazelike structures of plastic interlocking logs will occasionally direct the ship as well. Heartless traffic here is light._

_Riku:_ This looks…pretty weird.

 _Sora:_ I think it looks like fun!

 _Riku:_ What kind of world are we even going to, anyway?

_Midway through this course will be a Gummi boss that looks rather like a large toy robot, firing rapid cannon ammo from its arms – the same one fought before reaching Toy Box in canon. At the end of the road, disembark to the world._

* * *

_The very first cutscene encountered will be, uncut in all its 2D-90s-animated glory, the intro to Buzz Lightyear of Star Command._

* * *

As the cartoon’s title appeared plastered across the television screen, Rex, Hamm, Woody, and Buzz, seated on Bonnie’s throw blanket, gave up a small cheer, with applause by those whose hands could actually touch.

“It’s soooooo great that your show’s getting a revival after a decade!” Rex congratulated Buzz. “No, not a revival – it’s more like a Renaissance!”

“Gotta hand it to ya, buddy,” Woody said as he clapped Buzz on the back. “I’m proud of ya. I would do a lot to get Woody’s Roundup back on the air. It’s nice that they’re bringing your show back and giving you back the recognition you deserve.”

“You know,” Buzz replied, “I honestly never thought I’d hear that from you during our first few years.”

“Eh, times change,” Hamm commented.

“OH!” Rex cried. “THIS IS MY FAVORITE EPISODE! THE ONE WHERE THE EVIL ENERGY VAMPIRE NOS-4-A2 TAKES OVER PLANET Z AND USES THE CANNON TO – “

“We know what happens in this episode, Rex,” Woody groaned. “We’ve all seen it many, many times over with Bonnie.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t get pumped up,” Hamm argued. “Y’know, I always liked the little robot guy. He adds levity.”

“Oh, I’m a Booster fan myself,” Rex countered.

“What,” Buzz teased, “I’m nobody’s favorite character?”

“Oh, we didn’t mean it like that, Buzz!” Rex said hastily.

“He’s just kiddin’,” Hamm pointed out. “…You were kiddin’, right?”

“Just indulging in a little friendly humor,” Buzz confirmed.

Woody, however, was occupied by other concerns. A flash of movement had caught his eye; as he turned his head to look, he was met with a horribly familiar sight. Them. The creatures that had been appearing as of late.

“Turn that off!” Woody hissed as he smacked the button on the remote, darkening the television.

“Hey!” Rex moaned. “I was watching that!”

“Get back!” Woody whispered, practically tackling his three friends back onto the bed.

“It’s them, isn’t it?” Buzz realized once they were all out of sight.

“Ah, geez,” Hamm groaned. “Thought we were in the clear.”

“Well, apparently not!” Woody whispered.

Down on the hardwood, Toy Trooper Heartless had formed a small battalion, marching around to kick over stacks of books and pop a rubber ball that had the misfortune of getting in their way.

“We’ve been lucky so far that these guys only show up when Bonnie’s not here!” Woody whispered. “But we gotta take care of them before they show up when she is! We can’t let her get hurt!”

“Technically speaking, that ain’t in our job description,” Hamm reminded Woody.

“But we’re Bonnie’s toys,” Buzz asserted, “and Bonnie’s our kid. If we can protect her, we should. If nothing else, I am, in the fictional sense, a space ranger. Eliminating a threat to the grand authority, i.e. Bonnie, is only the right thing for me to do.”

“We’ll have to put the plan into action!” Woody declared. “Everyone: get in position!”

“Hey, uh,” Hamm realized, “the position for the plan was to gather on this here bed, so I’m callin’ it good!”

“Wait!” Rex hissed. “Hold on! I don’t think I’m emotionally prepared!”

“Would you calm down?” Hamm snapped. “Don’t worry! I got ya covered!”

Woody glanced over to the shelf by the television. A Green Army Man had taken up a position beside the now-dormant box, and Woody fired a hand signal toward him. The Green Army Man returned it.

Woody then sent the same signal across the room to where the rubber Little Green Men (more commonly “LGMs” to save time referring to them) gave him a wave in response. It was never really clear if the LGMs understood exactly what Woody was trying to get across to them, but he had to hope they would remember their role in this instance.

Finally, Woody turned to make eye contact with Buzz, who proclaimed, “It’s go time.”

* * *

TITLE CARD: TOY BOX

* * *

Under the bed, there was a different side to the story.

“What in the world?” Sora muttered as his gaze traveled over a colorful xylophone and a soccer ball. He’d seen some strange things, but this might have been the topper. Looking out over the hardwood floor of what appeared to be a child’s bedroom – though that wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever – he wondered out loud, “Where are we?”

“In someone’s room,” Riku’s voice came from next to him. “But…bigger.”

It really hit Sora for the first time: he was in an enormous room. Unless it wasn’t the room that was enormous, but instead… “OH MY GOSH! HAVE WE BEEN SHRUNK? RIKU – “

He turned to look at his friends, and gasped. He wasn’t sure how to process it at first. Plastic. Riku, Donald, and Goofy were made of plastic. The only confirmation that they hadn’t been turned to solid sculptures was the way they moved in reaction to Sora’s freaking out. Their limbs, however, looked a lot stiffer, with mechanical joints that didn’t allow for as wide of a range of motion. Riku’s hair was a solid piece of plastic with some spiky lines painted on to add the illusion of texture.

Sora quickly pressed his own hands to his chest, only to hear a rather sonorous click. He was plastic, too.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO US?” Sora wailed. “WHY ARE WE – WHAT ARE WE?”

“I think…” Riku turned his arm over, looking at both sides of his hand and flexing his fingers. “I think we’ve been turned into figurines.”

“Figurines?” Sora repeated.

“He means toys,” Donald clarified. “He just didn’t wanna say ‘toys’ ‘cause he thinks he’s too grown-up.”

“H-hey!” If Riku’s face were flesh, it would have flushed. “There’s a difference, okay? I collect figurines, so I would know!”

“Aww, you don’t hafta be ashamed!” Goofy assured him. “You’re never too old to play with toys!”

Riku sighed in defeat. “Okay. We’re toys.”

“But why are we TOYS?” Sora asked.

“You know what the magic is for!” Donald reminded him. “We have to protect the world order!”

“Right!” Goofy remembered. “The world border!”

“HOW DO YOU STILL NOT GET THAT RIGHT?” Donald yelled.

“Well, border or order,” Riku realized, “it’s gonna need protecting, all right. Look.”

He pointed, and the others followed his finger. The Toy Troopers were mobilized, ready to wreak another bout of havoc.

“Heartless!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy said as one.

“Oh, please let our weapons still work…” Sora muttered as he summoned up his Keyblade. “YES!”

“Let’s go, fellas!” Goofy cried as he brought out his shield. Once Donald and Riku had staff and blade in hand, the quartet began to charge.

Completely unaware of the operation taking place on the upper side of the bed.

“Okay,” Woody declared. “We go on three. One…two…GO!”

He, Buzz, Rex, and Hamm leapt. And landed directly on Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku.

“HEY!” Sora complained.

“GET OFF!” Donald yelled. “YOU’RE CRUSHING ME!”

“Sorry!” Rex babbled. “Sorrysorrysorry!”

The two groups separated from each other, then gave each other a brief stare-down in shock.

“Who are you?” Sora asked.

Woody put his hands on his hips; “I oughta be askin’ you that question! What’re you doing in Bonnie’s room?”

“Who’s Bonnie?” Sora replied.

“We can worry about that later!” Riku charged past. “Heartless come first!”

“I like his sense of duty!” Buzz proclaimed. “LET’S GO!”

* * *

_You are brought to a party selection screen. Your party can only hold four besides Sora; you have five characters to choose from. You can build your party around statistics or aesthetic, as any combo of Donald, Goofy, Riku, Woody, and Buzz will yield the ability to win battles. However, if you do not have both Woody and Buzz in your party, you are unable to use the Rocket Ruckus team attack, which does more damage than the team attacks with Donald, Goofy, and Riku. The menu will be sure to inform you of this. As with Kingdom Hearts 1, you can rearrange your party at any Save Point. Once your party is selected, the battle will begin. Take out the Toy Trooper mob. (There will be no ingame explanation as to why Buzz’s laser now functions as a laser. Just go with it; it’s cool.)_

* * *

“Nice work, rangers!” Buzz congratulated.

“Uh-huh.” Woody stepped in between Buzz and Sora, staring the latter down. “Where’d you come from all of a sudden, huh, Mr. Hotshot?”

“Woody!” Rex argued. “They helped us stop the bad guys! They’re not bad!”

“Rex, this isn’t a TV show!” Woody argued. “The enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend! And right now, we’re trying to make sure Bonnie is safe…from ALL intruders.”

“I, uh…” Sora fumbled for words. “We’re…aaaahhhh…”

Riku had put it together. “Bonnie’s new toys,” he volunteered. “Just came in today.”

“What?” Donald protested. “I’m not a toy! I’m a proficient mage!”

“Oh, no,” Woody groaned. “Not again…”

“Don’t worry,” Buzz assured Donald. “Transitioning out of the denial phase can be difficult, but we’re here for you in this trying time.”

“Those guys ain’t like any toys I’ve ever seen,” Hamm pointed out.

“They kind of remind me of the characters from the anime Bonnie likes to watch!” Rex realized. “I bet they’re licensed figurines!”

“Figurines,” Riku repeated, nudging Sora playfully. “Exactly.”

“Which means they’re ultra-powerful heroes who probably have crazy weapons!” Rex asserted. “Did you see how fast they took out those intruders? I bet they can help us figure out where they’re coming from and get rid of them for good!”

“Oh, you mean the Heartless!” Goofy realized. “Sure can!”

“We’re great at fighting those!” Donald insisted.

“So they’re from your toy line,” Woody said with suspicion, eyes narrowing.

“No,” Riku said quickly. “They’re not…related to us. Donald just…he’s in the denial phase.”

“HEY!” Donald squawked.

“Our…anime…is all about fighting monsters,” Riku went on. “That’s what we do.”

“Yeah!” Sora agreed. “If you’ve got a Heartless problem, we’ll help take care of it!”

“Hmm.” Woody thought it over. “Well…okay. Your story checks out.” He put out his right hand. “Woody. Put ‘er there.”

“I’m Sora,” Sora said as he took that hand and shook it – which was a very strange experience, given that neither was organic.

“Buzz Lightyear, of Star Command,” Buzz said out of habit as he put out his own hand. “…Or, more accurately, Buzz Lightyear of Bonnie’s Room.”

“Riku,” Riku said as he grasped that hand and shook it.

“My name’s Rex!” Rex attempted to put out his own hand, only to realize it was too short. “Aww, man! Some things about being a dinosaur actually aren’t awesome!”

Donald was fine with that; he would rather use his hand to point to himself with his thumb than to shake anyway. He proceeded to do so. “I’m Donald Duck! And I’m not in denial!”

“Name’s Goofy!” Goofy gave a wave.

Hamm glanced down at his hooves. “Eh, don’t look at me. Ain’t got hands.”

“And that’s okie-dokie!” Goofy assured him.

“Anyway, call me Hamm,” Hamm stated. “It’s a real honor.”

“You should tell us more about the plot of your anime!” Rex gushed. “I love anime, and I wanna watch yours, especially if you get to fight cool monsters with those Swordkeys of yours!”

“Keyblades,” Riku and Sora said as one.

“Even better!” Rex gasped. “Sooooo? What’s the title? The premise? The number of arcs? Shounen or shoujo?”

“Uhhh…” Riku and Sora looked to each other, not sure how to approach this in such a way that their stories would match.

“It’s…got…a complicated plot,” Riku began. “Not a lot of people understand it.”

“And, uh…” Sora fumbled. “It has…twists! That…don’t really make sense…”

“Lots of lore,” Riku volunteered.

“And loads of characters in every new arc!” Sora added.

“It’s a universe where the rules change a lot,” Riku stated.

“And the bad guys monologue too much!” Sora concluded.

“Wow,” Woody replied. “Who would wanna watch something like that?”

There was a beat of silence.

Then Rex cried, “I WOULD! I WOULD!”

“At your attention, sir!” The voice of the Green Army Sergeant called from down by Sora’s foot.

“Whoa!” Sora flinched away; if he hadn’t been careful, he might’ve stepped on the small man.

“Commence welcoming ceremony for new recruits!” the Sergeant said as the other Green Army Men lined up behind him.

All put up their hands to their foreheads in a salute, barking a formal “WELCOME!” before dropping it.

“WHOA!” Riku yelled as he and Donald turned to run from a rapidly approaching skateboard piloted by the LGMs.

The three rubbery aliens let out a synchronized “Wheeeeee!” as their vehicle nearly ran down Donald and Riku. Finally, they came upon a wall; Riku and Donald barged to either side as the skateboard collided. The LGMs spilled off, then reconvened around Riku.

“Strangers!” one said.

“From the outside!” another added.

“Welcome!” the third concluded.

“Uh…hi,” Riku said nervously.

Seizing the opportunity to divert attention away from the anime he was supposedly from, Sora asked Woody, “So how long have the Heartless been showing up?”

“Since a little while ago,” Woody related.

“If I didn’t know better,” Buzz muttered, “I’d think they were the advance party from some sort of evil invasion! …But, since we’re toys and not part of a galactic alliance on the verge of political meltdown, that’s not likely.”

“I’m just afraid of what’ll happen if Bonnie gets hurt,” Woody lamented.

“Bonnie,” Sora repeated. “She’s…our owner.”

“More than just our owner,” Woody corrected. “She’s our kid. She’s the one who gives us life and meaning and fun. Our entire purpose is to make her happy and help grow her imagination.”

“You really care about her,” Sora realized. “Like a friend.”

“One of the two best friends a toy could ever hope to have,” Woody said with a nod.

“Two?” Sora repeated.

“Andy outgrew us,” Woody told him. “But…sad as it was, that’s just what was meant to happen. Kids grow up. We’re just lucky we all got to move on together.”

“Still…” Riku walked back toward Woody. “Just because friends are far apart doesn’t mean they stop being friends. Even if you never see Andy again, I’m sure you’ll always hold a place in his heart. I know if I were a kid…I’d always remember my toys fondly.” His voice grew soft. “Maybe even repurpose a few of them into a figurine collection so I wouldn’t have to let them go.”

“If I were a kid,” Sora broke in, “I wouldn’t have gotten rid of my toys, even if I was fifteen. In fact, if my friend who got rid of some of his toys ever wanted to BORROW the stash in my closet…”

“Then your friend would probably wanna take you up on that,” Riku said, rather taken aback.

“Those two friends could make a day out of it!” Sora suggested. “Be kids all over again! Play like old times!”

“Just so long as their third friend who likes to tease them never finds out,” Riku laughed, “or she’d tell her new friend, who’s a grown-up, and then they’d pass it on to everyone they knew.”

“I’m lost,” Rex admitted.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sora said hastily.

“I think this is gonna be a whole lotta fun!” Goofy said excitedly.

“Fun?” Donald repeated. “This is serious business! We gotta figure out what’s goin’ on here with the Heartless!”

“That can still be fun!” Sora insisted.

“It always is, with you,” Riku reminded him.

The four shared a laugh so infectious that Woody, Buzz, Rex, and Hamm found themselves smiling as well.

“Ah, the innocence of youth,” a voice suddenly said from overhead. “I would say I miss it…but then again, I discarded it pretty early on. It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”

The mood instantly changed, like a glass ball shattering on the hardwood. All eyes turned up to the bed, where a new figure had appeared. He sported the cloak of Organization XIII, but with the hood flipped back so all could see that he was certainly one to talk about youth, given that he was no older than Riku. However, he was merely the younger version of some very old enemies.

“Xehanort,” Sora growled.

“Good to see you awake,” Young Xehanort taunted. “And here I thought sleeping was all you could do.”

“You think that’s supposed to hurt us?” Riku snapped.

“Evidently, I touched a nerve already,” Young Xehanort remarked flippantly.

“Whoa!” Rex cried. “He’s the most realistic-looking doll I’ve ever seen! Look at that polymer! His joint movements look so natural!”

Sora realized it when Rex pointed it out: Young Xehanort wasn’t a toy like the rest of them. He was fully human, flesh, blood, and bone: just shrunk down to match their proportions. Clearly, he didn’t give a whit about the world order (or border).

“Who’re you supposed to be?” Woody snapped.

“Me?” Young Xehanort grinned. “I’m that threat you were all so worried about. I’m the monster under the bed, waiting to hurt your precious friends.”

“It WAS an advance party for an invasion!” Buzz realized. “I should’ve known!”

“What do you want here?” Riku asked through gritted teeth. “These people haven’t done anything to you.”

“Yeah!” Donald shook a fist in the air. “Leave ‘em alone!”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Young Xehanort said slyly. “See, I happened to round up a lost member of your flock. My Organization has taken a certain…interest in maidens of her status. We can’t leave any stone unturned.”

“Huh?” Sora replied. “You sound like…like you’re collecting Princesses of Heart.”

“And here I thought you didn’t have a brain,” Young Xehanort retorted. “As it turned out, she wasn’t what we were looking for. But then you showed up, and I realized the opportunity I had on my hands. I want to see just how brightly your light burns…and how easily it can be snuffed out. After all, if my future self didn’t pick the right candidates, and you fall too easily, then we might as well have disposed of you to begin with and moved on to Plan B.”

“Just say what you mean!” Riku growled.

“Are you expecting this to be the part where the evil villain reveals his master plan to you, all in one blow?” Young Xehanort replied. “You really have been watching too many Saturday morning cartoons.”

“He’s genre-savvy!” Buzz gasped.

“Aren’t you concerned for your poor lost sheep?” Young Xehanort elaborated. “Sora and Riku fall fast asleep, and dream they heard her screaming. But when they awoke, they found it a joke, for she was still a-fleeting.”

“That rhyme.” Woody’s eyes widened. “Bo.”

“That’s right,” Young Xehanort confirmed.

He put out a hand, as if he were to summon a Keyblade. However, instead, a shepherdess’ crook appeared in his closed fist. He dropped the blue crook off the edge of the bed, letting it clatter to the floor.

“What…have you done…with Bo?” Woody growled.

“Come find out for yourself,” Young Xehanort told him. “I’ve turned Galaxy Toys into a little funhouse for you. Meet me there…all of you. We’ll see how strong the heart of a lifeless puppet truly is. …And also that of the toys.”

“THAT’S RUDE!” Donald screamed.

“I’m of the Dark,” Young Xehanort replied. “What did you expect?”

And with that, he was gone, swirls of Darkness whisking him away.

Woody knelt over the crook, gently picking it up.

“Another friend?” Riku asked.

“Bo Peep,” Woody said softly. “She was…special. She was part of a lamp in Andy’s sister’s room, but after Molly got so old, she didn’t need her so much anymore. Andy would bring her to play with the rest of us. He made up amazing stories about all of us. She was usually the one who would need to be rescued, but we didn’t mind. But then…Molly didn’t want her lamp, so Andy’s mom had it sold. And Bo went with it. We never knew where she was after that.” He caressed the blue crook. “Until now.” He looked up at Riku, a fierce determination in his eyes. “If she’s in trouble…we gotta help. It’s not just pretend this time. She really does need us to save her.”

“Then we will,” Riku asserted. “Just leave it to us.”

“We do this kinda thing all the time!” Goofy affirmed.

“No,” Woody said with a shake of his head. “Bo was…important to me. If you’re going to Galaxy Toys…then I’m going, too.”

“That villain wants all of us,” Buzz reminded him. “If we don’t meet his demands, he might take it out on Bo. Besides, we’ll be stronger as a team.”

“Sora and Riku can do it!” Rex insisted. “They’re heroes!”

“Uh, yeah, still just toys,” Hamm reminded him.

“I think you’ll find we’ve got a few surprises up our sleeves,” Sora said proudly.

“Like karate-chop action?” Rex asked. “Or do you have a Nerf cannon?”

“Then it’s settled!” Buzz decided, slamming one fist into the opposite palm. “A rescue operation is go! The mission commences immediately!”

He leapt into the air, bouncing off a rubber ball to reach the height of an open window. Once atop the sill, he activated his wings and spread out his arms. With a cry of “TOOOOO INFINITY…AND BEYOND!”, he plunged out said window.

“BUZZ!” Woody cried. He then gave a groan of frustration. “You can’t just go running off like that! We didn’t even work out how we’re gonna cover for being gone! You’d think a SPACE RANGER would actually stop to think about a PLAN before diving into things!”

“Well, we can make our plan here, then catch up to him,” Riku decided. “Right, Sora? …Sora?”

Sora was also on the windowsill, stretching out his arms as Buzz had done. He, too, yelled “TOOOOOO INFINITY…AND BEYOND!” before leaping.

Riku winced.

“Looks like your friend and Buzz’re cut from the same cloth,” Hamm remarked.

“This is gonna be a nightmare,” Donald groaned.

“Once Sora gets an idea in his head,” Riku informed the others, “there’s no stopping him. But that usually works out for the best. We should follow.”

“Right.” Woody nodded. “Okay. I’m gonna need everyone on Operation Lost and Found. Buzz, Rex, Hamm, the Green Army Men, the LGMs, and I will go ‘lost’ for a few hours. I want Slinky, Trixie, and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head out in obvious positions for Bonnie to find and get distracted from the fact that the rest of us are missing. Let’s get moving, people!”

* * *

_As gameplay resumes, you control Sora on the windowsill. You can go back into Bonnie’s room to poke around, but there’s not much interesting there – it’s mostly just there for the value of seeing the location. There’s more to see down in the yard – drop off the roof and the party will follow. The street area is pretty similar to the street outside Andy’s house in canon. When you turn to see where a large garbage truck is parked on the curb, some flavor dialogue will sound, regardless of whether these characters are in your party or not:_

_Sora:_ So…how are we gonna get to the toy store? We’re so small!

 _Woody:_ I have an idea…but you’re not gonna like it.

 _Buzz:_ Woody, you’re not suggesting –

 _Woody:_ We need to get to that garbage truck.

 _Donald:_ WHAT? A GARBAGE TRUCK?

 _Woody:_ Just trust me!

_Explore the street and the neighborhood to your heart’s content, picking up items and ingredients. When you are ready, hop up onto the back of the garbage truck and use Flowmotion to scale its walls._

_For the next stage, you will be inside the garbage truck as it begins to move, dropped down to the bottom of the garbage area. Woody, Buzz, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Rex, Hamm, the LGMs, and the Green Army Men will be scattered about, taking seats on various items such as apple cores and aluminum soda cans. Sora can move about on his own with no party following him. The truck will travel for a set amount of time, during which Sora can move about and seek hidden items and ingredients in the truck. As the truck moves, dialogue will sound from the other characters, spaced out over intervals:_

_Riku:_ This seems like it’s not your first adventure.

 _Woody:_ You better believe it.

 _Hamm:_ Eh, no rest for the wicked.

 _Goofy:_ But it’s your first adventure involvin’ the Heartless.

 _Woody:_ Do you guys know what those things are or not?

 _Goofy:_ Nope!/ _Donald:_ Yep!

 _Riku:_ We just call them “Heartless” because of the monsters in our…anime.

 _Woody:_ Riiiiight.

 _Sid Phillips (from the other side of the wall bordering the garbage area and the driver’s seat; you can faintly hear bass booming and guitars playing):_ WOO! ROCK ON!

 _Donald:_ What’s with that guy?

 _Buzz:_ Just be thankful he isn’t strapping us to a firework.

 _Riku:_ What?

 _Woody:_ Let’s just say it was one of those “adventures” we’ve been on.

 _Rex:_ Oh, I remember! That was back when you and Buzz didn’t get along!

 _Riku:_ You didn’t get along? But you seem so close.

 _Woody:_ Well, it wasn’t always that way. I mean, back in the day, Buzz could be a real bag of hot air -   
_Hamm:_ EH-HEM.

 _Rex:_ Woody…

 _Buzz:_ Mm-hmm?

 _Woody:_ Okay, okay, FINE, it was all me! I was the one with the problem! And I’m sorry! But now…well, now things are different.

 _Buzz:_ Woody and I are the best of friends!

 _Rex:_ It’s a sci-fi/Western fusion!

 _Sid (from the front seat):_ Hey, Andy! Your song just came on! …Wha – no! My eyes are on the road! I can drive with one hand on the – geez, fine! I’ll hang up the phone! Worrywart.

 _Woody:_ I’m guessing you all know each other because you’re from the same toy line.

 _Hamm:_ Probably assembled on the same conveyor belt!

 _Riku:_ Something like that.

 _Rex:_ That bad guy seemed to know you. Was he from your anime, too?

 _Riku:_ That’s, uh…that’s complicated.

 _Rex:_ Oh, right, the lore!

 _Buzz:_ Whoever he is, he’s playing his part a little too well. Someone oughta wake him up to the fact that his evil scheme isn’t even real.

 _Riku:_ It’s real enough.

 _Woody:_ Real enough that Bo is in trouble. How could I let this happen?

 _Goofy:_ Aww, it wasn’t your fault! You didn’t even know!

 _Woody:_ Ever since Bo was taken away…I was too late to even say goodbye. I had to watch it happen through a window. I dunno, I always felt like there was something I could’ve done. Or should’ve done.

 _Riku:_ You can’t change the past. All you can do now is help her going forward.

 _Goofy:_ And we’ll be right by your side!

 _Sid (from the front seat):_ Wonder if I’ll pick up any good salvage today…

 _Rex:_ Ooooh, I’m so excited! I get to be the hero of a real adventure! Does your anime have any dinosaurs in it?

 _Riku:_ …Surprisingly, no.

 _Donald:_ That is weird. We’ve met everything EXCEPT dinosaurs.

 _Goofy:_ Does a dragon count?

 _Sergeant:_ SIR! My men report the vehicle slowing gradually in speed! Estimated arrival at Galaxy Toys in T-minus five minutes!

 _LGMs:_ Ooooooh, arrival!

 _Woody:_ Wha – who let them come along?

 _Hamm:_ I don’t think anyone ever “lets” them do anything. They just do what they want and nothing can stop ‘em.

 _Woody:_ Great.

 _Riku:_ So. Do we have a plan for when we get inside Galaxy Toys?

 _Woody:_ Oh, this place is no regular Al’s Toy Barn. Galaxy Toys is an emporium. Searching that place is gonna be like doing a maze!

 _Goofy:_ Well, I’m pretty good at mazes!

 _Riku:_ Good enough for me.

 _Sergeant:_ SIR! Approaching destination!

 _Woody:_ All right, everybody! Get ready! This is our stop!

* * *

As the garbage truck pulled away, its driver still headbanging to the beat, the party beheld Galaxy Toys, which was really not so much of a toy store as an entire toy mall.

“Whoa,” Sora gasped. “You weren’t kidding. This place is huge! And that’s not even counting how extra small we are!”

“Now this would probably be the place to look for some quality figurines,” Riku remarked.

“If we’d had one of these on the islands when I was a kid,” Sora went on, “I would never leave!”

“Would I have to drag you out before you lost your heart to the toyness?” Riku joked.

Sora shrugged; “Probably.”

“Anime backstory,” Rex whispered to Woody and Buzz by way of explanation.

“C’mon!” Donald urged as he hurried to the entrance. “We’re not gonna find Bo by standin’ around out here! And we’re not gonna see all the cool toys out here, either!”

As the group entered the entryway, packed with some of the hottest action figures and playsets of the season, they were all oohs and ahhs. It truly was a child’s dream, with shelves packed full of brightly colored playthings in several genres, all arranged around a great glass “Space Capsule” meant to dispense multicolored bouncy balls.

“Huh,” Riku remarked. “It’s the middle of the day, and this place is empty.”

“I’ll betcha that young Xehanort did somethin’ ta clear it out for the day!” Goofy harrumphed. “That’d be just like ‘im! Ruinin’ other people’s fun!”

As Sora passed beneath the shelf of what appeared to be an immense robot, labeled “Gigas,” he noted that although it was unboxed, it was acting distinctly differently from his new toy friends – by which is meant it wasn’t “acting” at all. “Hey,” Sora observed. “Why doesn’t that toy move?”

“Hmm.” Woody considered it, giving the Gigas a once-over.

“I’ll tell you why,” Buzz said. “That toy isn’t built to be a character, but an accessory. I’ve seen this type before in my own line. It’s part of a playset that figures can ‘pilot’ to defeat enemy forces.”

“Pilot…” Sora’s face lit up. “Does that mean I can DRIVE that thing!”

“Oh, no!” Donald cried. “Don’t let Sora anywhere NEAR one of those!”

“If he’s not going to take it, then I may as well.”

Yet again, all eyes snapped up to see Young Xehanort appearing through the wispy Darkness, standing atop the Space Capsule’s funnel. “I’m so honored you decided to put in an appearance,” he stated dryly. “I was worried for a moment that the Light only attracted cowards.”

“Stop trying to psyche us out!” Sora yelled. “Just tell us where Woody’s friend is!”

Instead of answering at all, Young Xehanort snapped his gloved fingers. A horde of Toy Troopers appeared at his call; one threw itself into the cockpit of the red Gigas on display. The Gigas, now under the Toy Trooper’s control, flung itself off the shelf and landed menacingly in front of the heroic party.

“Oh, no!” Woody took a step back. “This is trouble!”

“This is a job for Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and monster slayers Sora and Riku!” Rex cried.

“WHY DO YOU KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT ME AND GOOFY?” Donald yelled at him. “WE’RE MONSTER SLAYERS TOO!”

“See, I thought you were more like the kooky sidekicks – “ Rex began.

As Donald pitched a temper tantrum, Goofy mused, “Y’know, I think am a kooky sidekick! A-hyuck!” All the while, not noticing the descending fist of the Gigas.

“LOOK OUT!” Riku tackled the knight, bringing him out of the way of the Gigas’ blow.

“Hmm,” Young Xehanort mused. “Empty shells, given new life by the Darkness. I wonder if the concept could apply to more than just mechanical accessories.”

The Gigas had then turned on Hamm, nearly smashing open the piggy bank, only for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to bunch up behind Goofy’s shield and push a Trinity Guard into the mech, allowing Woody to escort Hamm to safety.

“You know,” Young Xehanort chuckled, “they say this all began because my future self was a curious researcher. I am beginning to see that desire blooming within my current self. I have many questions that now require answers…regardless of the means to answer them.”

“Is that why you’re doing this?” Sora yelled as he parried the Gigas yet again. “To answer questions?”

“You are of no consequence to me,” Young Xehanort replied. “Why not sacrifice you in the name of my curiosity? But hopefully, my experiments will bear fruit that will assist the Keyblade War. This world is unique; man-made puppets and toys claim to have bonds with creatures of flesh and blood. Surely there are revelations to be had through examination. For instance: if a toy is permanently broken to the point of no return, can the heart of another toy break for it?” He punctuated that with a malicious smirk before disappearing.

The Gigas broke Sora’s hold, launching him across the room. Riku quickly dove behind to catch him, helping him get back to his feet.

“Thanks for the save, Riku,” Sora said breathlessly.

Riku nodded; “Got your back.”

“And I got yours,” Sora insisted.

The Gigas then opened fire from one of its laser-cannon arms. While the blasts might not have been harmful to children, in the plane of toys, they were very, painfully real. As the scattershot landed, the group dispersed, hiding behind a variety of shelves.

Sora and Riku ended up isolated behind one particular shelf; while Sora peeked around to monitor the rampaging Gigas, Riku looked in the other direction, and gasped. “Hey, Sora? I just got a bad idea. The thing is, I know you’ll like it.”

“Huh?” Sora turned to look at him. “What is it?”

“When you tell Donald and Goofy how we came up with this,” Riku told Sora, “don’t say it was my idea.” He then extended an arm to point.

Another unboxed Gigas. Teal and blue in design.

“You want ME to drive it?” Sora asked.

“Go wild,” Riku said with a smirk.

“YOU’RE THE BEST, RIKU!” Sora took off at a gallivant, throwing Riku a thumbs-up behind him.

Riku then took Sora’s position, watching the Gigas from hiding, Keyblade out.

Sora launched himself into the air, front-flipping before landing perfectly inside the blue Gigas’ pilot seat. The panels clicked shut over him as he grasped the controls. Then the blue Gigas leapt down, squaring off against the red Gigas and the two others that had flanked it.

* * *

_You will be transported to a first-person view from inside the Gigas. After a quick tutorial menu, you will then enter the boss fight against the Gigas triad. Mechanics are basically the same as canon._

* * *

After the red Gigas gave up its pilot, who transformed into an isolated heart that rocketed into the air, Sora dismounted his own mech.

“Well done, Sora!” Donald said as he approached. “Your crazy, trigger-happy driving actually helped us out for once!”

“Thanks!” Sora replied with a smile. Then: “Hey, WAIT a minute!”

“Okay, everybody, roll call!” Woody announced as everyone regrouped. “Is everyone present and accounted for? Sora?”

“Here!” Sora waved a hand in the air.

“Riku!” Woody called.

“I’m okay,” Riku said.

“Donald!” Woody called.

“I’m fine!” Donald said.

“Goofy!” Woody called.

“Here, a-hyuck!” Goofy said.

“Buzz!” Woody called.

“Present,” Buzz said.

“Rex!” Woody called.

Silence.

“…Rex?” Woody repeated, turning a 360 to look around. “Hamm? Sarge? Any of the LGMs?”

“Looks like we’re NOT all present and accounted for,” Buzz realized.

“Xehanort,” Sora growled.

“SIR!” The sharp voice of the Sergeant drew everyone’s attention upward to the shelf.

“Oh, Sarge, thank goodness!” Woody sighed. “Where’s everyone else?”

“MIA!” the Sergeant reported. “Recon spotted Rex being hauled off to the second floor by those enemies while the big one was distractin’ us! As for Hamm and the LGMs, we have no sign yet! But my men won’t sleep until they’re all located!”

“He’s trying to divide us,” Riku mused. “But why?”

“Because he sees us as some kind of experiment,” Sora growled. “I think he wants to see if Woody and Buzz’s hearts are real based on how they feel about their friends being in danger.”

“Well, how I feel is angry,” Woody proclaimed, “and ready to get our friends back. Whaddaya say, Buzz?”

“This ranger’s ready for a rescue op,” Buzz agreed.

“That means we get to explore the toy store!” Donald realized. “Oh, boy, oh, boy!”

“My troops will return to the field, Sir!” the Sergeant reported. Five Green Army Men saluted before departing.

“So, whaddaya think, Riku?” Sora put a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “Ready to be a kid again?”

“Only you could see this as something fun,” Riku said with a smile. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Buzz was assessing the Space Capsule. “This ascent is gonna be rather tricky,” he muttered.

Woody leaned on his shoulder; “Too bad we’re not strapped to a rocket, huh?”

Buzz just rolled his eyes at that.

“Hey!” Sora pointed upward. “Think we could use that?”

A network of decorative cables, brightly colored, sprouted up from the capsule and wound their way through the open center in the middle of the toy emporium; the floors were arranged in rings around it all the way up.

“Only one way to find out,” Woody stated. “Come on, guys!”

* * *

_You now have free reign to explore Galaxy Toys. The map is pretty much the same as in canon – some departments will be changed, but we’ll get there when we get there. As for layout, assume everything not described is as in canon – including commandeerable Gigas. Make your way to the action figure section on the second floor, where Rex has been reported._

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy gaped at the array of dinosaur figures and Monstrous Monsters collectibles. Riku couldn’t help but admire their awe and passion, and to an extent, he felt it, too, but it was accompanied by a far more sinister feeling: that something was watching them from the shadows. Still, he didn’t want to put up a false alarm, and so tried to shrug it off. Probably too much time spent in the Realm of Darkness, he thought.

Distracted by a movement in his periphery, Woody gave a start. “Rex!” he cried, barreling down an aisle.

But Rex was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d he go?” Woody wondered out loud.

“You sure you saw him?” Buzz asked.

“Yes!” Woody asserted. “I’m sure!”

“I don’t like this,” Riku finally brought up. “Something’s…off about this place. I can’t put my finger on it. Almost like a…bad smell, but different.”

“Riku,” Sora realized, “couldn’t you smell Darkness back in Castle Oblivion? Maybe you can still sense it.”

Riku gasped. It did seem to add up. After all, he’d been able to tell when the dream-version of Claude Frollo was consumed by the Dark energy. But that meant trouble. “Something’s stalking us. Be careful!”

From behind the Monstrous Monsters display, there came a saurian roar.

“…Rex?” Goofy said hopefully.

“I don’t think that’s Rex,” Sora said with trepidation, drawing his blade.

Then the enormous plastic collectible, shaped like a draconian reptile with armor enhancements, punched through the boxes of the display, scattering them. As Donald attempted to escape, one box blocked his path.

“HEY!” Woody yelled up at the monster. “WE COME IN PEACE! WE’RE FELLOW TOYS!”

“I don’t think he’s in his right mind!” Riku warned. “I can sense the Darkness coursing through him! It’s like…it’s like that’s all there IS to him!”

Buzz was suddenly struck with a special sort of melancholy as he observed the writhing reptile. He pushed it aside to strike a pose, laser aimed.

“If you wanted to play nice,” he growled, “you should’ve stayed away from my team.”

“Let’s take it down!” Sora cried.

* * *

_Defeat a pair of Monstrous Monsters figurines. A Gigas is available should you choose to use it._

* * *

“Okay,” Sora panted as the team regrouped again. “I think – “

Whatever he thought, he never got the chance to finish. A third monster, one they hadn’t seen, landed behind them, emitting a roar. Having the element of surprise, it might have been able to deal some true damage.

But up above, Rex had gotten himself onto a motorized airplane, steering it in rapid circles and screaming all the way. The plane finally came loose of its cord, and both plane and dinosaur went crashing right into the possessed figure.

A marionette-shaped Heartless was knocked loose, and the monster fell still. Rex examined the fallen Heartless; “What’s this?”

The puppet’s head turned up to look at him with lifeless eyes before the Heartless rose menacingly.

“I DIDN’T DO IIIIIIT!” Rex cried as he hurtled away; Sora crossed his path, leaping to take out the Heartless in a single slash.

After a “phew” of relief, Woody congratulated, “Nice moves, Rex!”

“That was great!” Goofy agreed.

“Great? Really?” Rex beamed. “Would you say I was impressive?”

“Very impressive, Rex!” Buzz stated. “We couldn’t look away!”

“Hurray!” Rex cheered, rocking about on his plastic feet. “Oh, that makes me so happy! Were you all watching? Did you see what I did?”

He leaned closer to Donald as he continued to gush. Donald made a gesture to push him back, muttering, “Yeah. Good for you.”

“Listen, Rex.” Woody attempted to break through to him. “Would you – “

But Rex kept going on and on: “And then, before I knew it, I was bravely soaring through the air like an ace pilot – “

“Earth to Rex!” Woody snapped.

Once Rex had fallen silent, Sora asked, “Did you see where they took Hamm or the aliens?”

“What do you mean?” Rex asked him. “Did something bad happen?”

Buzz sighed. “Looks like we’re back to square one.”

“Great,” Woody groaned.

“SIR!”

The sound of the Sergeant’s call alerted everyone to his presence as he scaled down the grate of the nearest air vent.

“Sarge!” Woody called to him. “Have you got a status report?”

The Sergeant got himself to terra firma before reporting, “One of my men has tracked Hamm to somewhere between Toddlers’ Toys and Dolls. The corporal was debriefing him, but something must’ve gone wrong. All radio contact has been lost.”

Everyone deflated a little bit upon hearing that.

“Anything more specific we can go on?” Buzz ventured.

“Right before I lost contact,” the Sergeant related, “I heard music with some sort of sonic interference.”

“Music…” Buzz pondered.

“You think it could be the Heartless?” Goofy guessed.

“Why would a HEARTLESS play MUSIC?” Donald retorted.

“So it could dance to it!” Goofy ventured.

“I’m not even gonna respond to that one,” Donald muttered.

“Music…” Sora repeated. “I bet it’s probably one of the toys. A lot of them play music, right? We should go to where Sarge said and check it out ourselves.”

“I agree,” Woody stated.

“Rex,” Buzz commanded, “you should return to the entrance, where you’ll be safe.”

“You mean I don’t get to come on the adventure?” Rex said morosely.

“You’ll be playing a crucial role in our operation,” Buzz told him. “The front gate lookout. Without you, we’d be vulnerable to an attack from the outside. It’s an important mission. Can you do it?”

“Good point!” Rex realized. “Yes, sir! Lookout Rex, reporting for duty!” He attempted to salute but was once again reminded of the shortness of his own arms. “Awww…”

It was then Sora realized Riku hadn’t spoken in a while. “Riku?” he asked as he turned to look for his friend.

Riku was observing the monster figure, which lay stone-still, nothing more than inanimate plastic on the floor. “Huh?” He was jolted out of his reverie.

“You okay?” Sora asked with concern.

“Yeah,” Riku said. “I’m…I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Riku nodded. “You go get a head start. I just need to get my thoughts together.”

“Well, okay.” Sora shrugged. “I trust you.”

As he, Woody, Donald, and Goofy made off, Riku lingered beside the plastic toy, thinking about the Heartless that had taken control of it. Thinking about the Heartless that had taken control of him roughly one year ago. How he had been as much of a puppet as the toy.

And now that toy was empty.

“It’s never easy to see a casualty of war.”

Buzz’s voice jolted Riku back to the present. “Oh. Hey. …Does this usually happen to toys? Can they just…go still like that?”

“I’ve never seen it before,” Buzz stated, “and frankly, it concerns me. It seems this poor soul was somehow drained of all autonomy by the enemy. All the more reason we need to fight. For this innocent civilian that got caught up in the conflict…and for all the others we can still save.”

“Right,” Riku agreed.

But Buzz knew there was something more to it. “You know,” he told Riku, “a life in combat means you see some things you can’t erase from your memory. Granted, mine were more part of my imaginary memories from thinking I was a space ranger, but that doesn’t mean they have no value.”

Riku nodded. “Even fake memories can hold truths.”

“If you ever need to talk about anything,” Buzz told him, “I’m here to listen.”

“Thanks.” Riku turned and began to walk away. “But there’s nothing to talk about.”

Buzz gave a sigh, shoulders slumping. Riku was definitely hiding something, and from his closest friends, at that. But he’d done all he could do. The rest was on Riku now.

* * *

_Use the ventilation system to proceed to the Toddlers/Dolls section, then investigate the Musical Toads display. Some dialogue will prompt you:_

_Woody:_ Wait a minute…music…that sounds familiar…

_Sora running on the record player will trigger the cutscene. First, as you keep Sora running, the Musical Toads will begin to play Sora’s Theme. Then it gives way to the scene._

* * *

“Come on, Sora!” Woody groaned, actually amused. “You’ve never used a record player?”

“Uh, should I have?” Sora replied. “Is this not how it works?”

“Well, you’ve got the right idea,” Woody told him, “but you gotta go faster! You’re never gonna get anywhere at that rate!”

“Faster than Sora, huh?” Riku mused, smirking. He then vaulted up onto the record player to start running beside Sora, picking up the pace. Soon Sora realized that he no longer had any effect on the disc; Riku’s strength and momentum was propelling it along without him, and so fast, in fact, that he fell right over with a “WHOA!”.

“Come on, Sora!” Riku laughed. “You gonna give up that easy?”

“Wha – no!” Sora made a revolution around the player and past Riku’s static run before leaping up and trying his best to keep pace. “See? I’m going faster than you right now!”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Oh, YEAH!”

The orchestra of mechanical toads worked in literal concert to produce a philharmonic soundscape, surprisingly realistic-sounding for a toddler’s toy. In awe, Goofy cried, “It’s workin’!”

But as most of the toads moved slowly and gracefully, playing in tune and tempo, there was one that jerked about erratically, emitting a sour note.

“Wait,” Buzz realized. “Did that sound off to you?’

“It did!” Donald agreed.

Goofy turned to deliver the news; “SORA! RIKU! THERE’S SOME KINDA STRANGE NOISE COMIN’ FROM THE ORCHESTRA!”

“One of us should check it out!” Sora told Riku.

“I mean, I’m basically running this thing by myself anyway,” Riku laughed. “Go figure it out.”

As Sora leapt down, Woody climbed up to take his place, running alongside Riku with a “Mind if I cut in?”

“Hey, you wanna make a race of it?” Riku teased.

Sora stepped out onto the concert stage, eyes and ears seeking out the errant toad.

* * *

_Locate the tuba-playing toad and examine it._

* * *

“YOU ALMOST DONE UP THERE?” Woody panted.

“What, tired already?” Riku teased. “You just got started! I haven’t even broken a sweat!”

Sora, Goofy, and Donald crowded around the tuba-playing toad. Goofy, being the tallest, was first to peer inside with a “Hmm.” After some evaluation, he declared, “Somethin’ seems to be stuck in this tuba.”

“Hm?” Sora took a look. “I’ll get it out!”

In went his arm, and he was reminded of how much less finesse he had when his fingers were plastic on hinge joints. The foreign object slipped from his grip a couple times. But then he found purchase, fingers locking around whatever it was. “Almost got it…” he muttered. Then, triumphantly: “THERE!”

With a “pop” sound, the Corporal was removed from the tuba, looking as though he’d been through quite the harrowing experience. Sora gently set him down, where he sat on the concert stage, catching his breath.

“CORPORAL!” the Sergeant yelled in a near panic. He rushed to the side of his brother in arms, kneeling beside him gently and placing a hand on his back. “You all right, son?”

“Yes, sir,” the Corporal grunted.

“That’s the soldier Sarge lost contact with!” Buzz realized.

“So…you found Hamm?” Sora ventured.

“Yes,” the Corporal panted. “But…while I was radioing in, a giant hand grabbed me, and it stuffed me in there. They must’ve taken Hamm to another location. We have to hurry!”

He attempted to forge ahead, but found himself limping.

“Wait, Corporal!” the Sergeant called out as the Corporal toppled over. “You’re not fit for action!” He moved to help the Corporal up.

“But, Sarge…” the Corporal protested.

“Your tour is over, son,” the Sergeant said softly. “And it’s all right. Our trusted allies will take over.” He gestured up toward Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

All three saluted. “For the Corporal,” Sora declared.

“For the Corporal!” Donald and Goofy echoed.

“I will move the Corporal to a safer location,” the Sergeant related. “Good luck, gentlemen.”

The attention of the group was drawn by the sound of Woody yelping, losing his balance, and falling off the record player. Riku couldn’t suppress the laugh as the sheriff got to hands and knees, panting from the heavy cardio.

“Looks like our score’s one to zero,” he said slyly.

“Heyyyyy!” Sora protested. “That’s our thing!”

“Woody! Riku!” Buzz related. “Mission complete!”

Riku hopped off the record player and landed gracefully next to Woody before extending a hand down to him. Woody gratefully took it, letting Riku help him up. “I’m fine,” Woody panted. “Fine…just gotta…catch my breath – “

“Sorry; there’s no time to rest!” Buzz leapt down to the front of the concert stage. “Hamm needs us!”

“Then let’s go get him!” Sora cried as Riku took his place beside him.

* * *

Search the area until you find the shaking dollhouse, then examine it.

* * *

All together, Sora, Riku, Woody, Buzz, Donald, and Goofy pried at the doors of the My Little House.

“Why is this harder than closing the Door to Darkness?” Riku grunted.

The doors popped open all at once, sending the six spilling to the ground. Hamm came waltzing out; “Talk about cabin fever. Thanks for the save!”

“You okay, Hamm?” Woody asked.

“Yeah!” Hamm confirmed. “Aside from bein’ locked in, the accommodations were fine!” He nodded back to a tiny table with a tea set inside the house.

Donald took the opportunity to wander into the diminutive building. “Awww,” he remarked. “What a tiny little house.” He drank in the sights as he passed them: the table, the heart-shaped rug, the window –

The window. Something was outside, looking in with impossibly bright eyes.

“Huh?” Donald turned to stare back.

Once he realized what he was looking at, he leapt and screamed, shaking the house.

“Darkness!” Riku realized. “I can sense it! Donald’s in trouble!”

“DONALD!” Sora rushed toward the house only to intercept the duck on his way out. “What happened?”

But Hamm was already whimpering. “She’s back!” the piggy bank cried. “That’s the doll that pig-penned me!”

An Angelic Amber fashion doll, enormous and statuesque with curls of blue and a dress of voluminous lace, towered over the group. The irises of her eyes burned like live embers, as did the Heartless emblem on the left of her bunny-ear headband.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Woody yelled to her.

“I don’t think she’s in any mood to talk!” Riku warned. “The Darkness is strong around her! Watch out!”

“You mean, she’s like…” Buzz didn’t have to say it.

Proving the point, Amber raised a delicate hand, which glowed deep purple.

“TAKE COVER, HAMM!” Woody yelled.

“Got it!” Hamm yelled as he made tracks. “One stay in the dread-and-breakfast was enough for me!”

The others split across the divide made by Amber’s crushing hand.

“Guys,” Sora called out, “look alive!”

* * *

_Take on Angelic Amber and her horde of Marionettes._

* * *

Beaten, Amber slumped backward, the fire in her eyes subsiding to reveal her true green. Her back hit the wall of the dollhouse, and she collapsed lifelessly.

Riku gasped, eyes wide as he watched her become still. “No,” he muttered. His hands slowly reached up to clutch at his plastic hair. “No, no, NO!”

“Riku!” Sora cried, extremely worried. He hurried to put a hand on Riku’s shoulder; “What’s wrong?”

“The Darkness…” Riku gasped, unable to bring himself to look Sora in the eye. “It took over her. She wasn’t able to control herself. It wasn’t her attacking us. She was hollow. Empty. It was just like…it was just like when Ansem took over me.”

“Oh, Riku…” Sora realized this must have been on his mind since the Monstrous Monsters.

“What if it happens again, Sora?” Riku whimpered. “If not here, then somewhere else. At any moment, I could lose control again. I could hurt you! The Heartless can creep in through the Darkness in a person’s heart. What if they use it as a route back to mine? And when we beat her…she…there isn’t anything left, Sora.”

“Why ain’t she movin’?” Goofy asked Woody.

“I…I don’t know,” Woody admitted. “It’s starting to scare me. This entire place should be like a toy metropolis, but it’s so quiet. Like no one can move. Like they’re all just…” Sympathetic eyes traveled over Amber. “Empty shells.”

“But that means – “ Donald figured what it would equate to, for a living being. “Oh, no…” He hung his head in dismay.

“If I may.” Buzz approached Sora and Riku. “I…don’t know your whole story, so maybe I don’t have a place to speak. But you’re not the only one here who’s lost control and been turned against his friends by outside forces.”

Riku glanced over to Buzz. “You?”

“Back in a daycare, before we met Bonnie,” Buzz explained, “a totalitarian teddy bear with an iron-fisted reign reprogrammed me in order to make his perfect enforcer. I wasn’t even aware until later of all the damage I’d done. There’s nothing more frightening to me than the thought that that might happen again. But for one, as a figurine, you’re safer than an electronic toy like me. No programming. More importantly, though, I had an invaluable team of friends that never gave up on me.” He fired Woody a soft smile.

“And we never would,” Woody assured Buzz. “No matter how many times the bad guys reset you.”

“Riku…?” Sora gently placed his hands on Riku’s forearms, turning the taller boy to face him. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose control like that. But it sounds like the most frightening thing in the world. Watching from inside your own heart as your body hurts the people you care about…but I want you to know that I’ll never give up on you. They could take you away a thousand times, and I’d know the real Riku was still in there, waiting to be fought for.”

“The worst part is still knowing I chose that path,” Riku said softly, shakily. “I opened the door to Ansem. I don’t think I can ever completely close it.”

“But you know what else?” Sora told him. “You can choose to kick him out, too! Your heart is strong. I bet it’s more protected from him than you think. That’s another of the things I’m jealous of about you, Riku. You always keep fighting, even when all hope seems lost. Dark or Light, it doesn’t matter. Your strength is what will keep the Heartless away. And if it fails, well, then just hang tight, and I’ll use my strength to save you as soon as I can.”

Riku felt his plastic body flooded with warmth as he gave Sora a sincere smile. “Thanks, Sora. I mean it. I…I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“Hey, don’t be!” Sora beamed. “It’s my job to be the optimistic one, remember? To make up for the fact that I can’t keep a record player running.”

An unexpected laugh coughed its way out of Riku’s throat. “I’m lucky to have you, Sora. Really. And I’ll always fight for you. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do!”

Riku took a soft step back; Sora relinquished his grip. “I’m sorry, everyone,” Riku said, slightly louder. “That was…it won’t happen again.”

“Aw, it’s okay!” Goofy assured him. “We all get a little overwhelmed every now and again! That’s why it’s good to have a team! Ya lean on each other a little!”

“Besides,” Woody told him, “your struggle might be personal, but we all have stakes in this game. Rex, Hamm, the lifeless toys…Bo. We might be playthings, but this isn’t a game. I don’t blame you for feeling like there’s a snake in your boot.”

“Like there’s a WHAT?” Riku was now smiling against his will.

“Don’t overthink it,” Woody sighed.

Buzz now looked to Hamm, who was approaching the crowd once more. “Hamm,” he ordered, “go back to the entryway. Rex is posted there as a lookout. Keep each other safe.”

“Righty-o!” Hamm proclaimed. “’Sides, I’d just slow you down, with all this loose change I’m carryin’. Oh, but before I go, I thought you might wanna know where I last saw the LGMs.”

“Where are they being held prisoner?” Buzz demanded. “Which villain captured them?”

“None,” Hamm sighed. “While Miss Tall-Dark-and-Creepy here was wrangling me and the Corporal and Rex was tussling with some Tyrannosaur, the three of them mentioned something about ‘going home’ and headin’ toward a certain display that was all greens and purples. I don’t think I have to spell it out.”

“The Buzz Lightyear of Star Command revival toys!” Buzz realized. “Of course! They’d think it was a return to their home star system!” He turned back to the group. “Head down the hall! We’re looking for a display of…well…” He gestured to himself, up and down. “These colors.”

“Okay!” Sora saluted. He then looked to Riku; “You good?”

“Yeah,” Riku replied. “Helping the LGMs out will be better than moping anyway. …You wouldn’t wanna race there, would you?”

“You wish!” Sora retorted.

* * *

_Head down the hall. Where canon had blocks and lawn toys – the place where you would have fought the flying saucer – there will instead be a section devoted to Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. Boxes of Buzz figures will line the shelves, as well as some other sealed boxes that can’t be seen into. Spaceships and other sci-fi paraphernalia set the mood._

* * *

“So this is the show you’re from?” Sora asked Buzz as they entered the store’s new featured display. 

“Buzz Lightyear of Star Command,” Buzz said fondly. “I remember it like it was…well, like it was my life. That cartoon had it all. Action, adventure, comedy…and if it’s stories about the power of friendship saving the day you want, well, then it’s the show for you.”

“Huh.” Sora mulled this over. Much like Riku had earlier, he was drawing the connection between Buzz’s false memories and his forgotten time in Castle Oblivion. “So you remember that world, but it wasn’t real?”

“That’s right,” Buzz affirmed. “And you should’ve seen me way back when. I was an absolute raving lunatic!”

“So you REALLY would’ve gotten along well with Sora,” Donald snarked.

“Ignore him,” Sora groaned. “I was just wondering…if you had good friends in those fake memories, do you miss them sometimes, even though you never met?”

Without thinking, Buzz curled a hand into a fist over his heart. “I know the difference between fiction and reality now,” he assured Sora. “That being said…there are days I wish I could meet them and form a real bond. But for all I know, they wouldn’t respect the real me as much as we got along in those memories. Bonnie and Woody are real friends, so I try to focus on that.”

“All I know is that when hearts are connected, even in the silliest of ways,” Sora brought up, “they find a way to each other. Maybe it’s not as impossible as you think.”

“I’d rather focus on the here and now,” Buzz told him. “Such as rounding up our wayward wanderers there.” He gestured forward with a hand.

The three LGMs were gathered around a tall rocket-shaped shelf laden with Buzz Lightyear figures. “Oooooohhhh,” they chorused.

“The Buzz Lightyears from across parallel universes!” one cried.

“We must find the Commander,” another stated.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Woody ran out to them. “That’s not real, remember? You’re toys! You gotta come back home with us!” He gestured toward the display. “You see those guys? Not your Buzz Lightyear!”

“Not real?” the third LGM asked.

“Uhhh…” Woody realized how he’d have to put this. “Actually, you can see how they’re all in CRYOGENIC STASIS, right? You can’t wake them up before the right time! And the same goes for, uh, Commander Whatshisname!”

“You’re right,” the first LGM realized.

“You guys gotta get back down to the entryway and meet up with Rex!” Woody insisted. “He’ll take you to…uh…the spaceport for your next mission!”

“We accept these orders from Substitute Commander Woody,” the second LGM stated.

“…Close enough,” Woody sighed. “Okay, NOW we’re all present and accounted for.”

“At least those of us who came in together,” Buzz mused.

“Next, we need to find out what Xehanort plans on doing with Bo,” Sora stated.

“Actually,” Riku broke in, “we might wanna…keep an eye on these guys until they get back to the entrance, if they’re gonna wander off like that.”

“Good point,” Woody realized. “Okay. Back to the front door, and then we pick up the trail.”

“Let’s go!” Sora said enthusiastically before turning to lead the group away from the space-themed toys.

But a Corridor of Darkness bloomed right in his path. For a moment, he recoiled, expecting Young Xehanort. But what exited was arguably worse.

“It seems you have become quite the problem,” Maleficent stated as Pete followed her into the toy store, both of them proportionate to toy size but featuring realistic features as Young Xehanort had.

“Ol’ Hades told us you gave him a bad time!” Pete snapped. “Whaddaya think yer doin’, makin’ me look stupid for sayin’ you were a buncha weaklings! Or were ya just fakin’ it so we’d get lulled into a false sense o’ security?”

“What?” Sora snapped back. “You didn’t think we’d get stronger? We stopped Hades from taking over Olympus, and we can stop the rest of you, too!”

“Is that so?” Maleficent teased. “My, my…” Her gaze flicked away from Sora to settle on another. “A familiar face returns.”

“Shut up!” Riku growled.

“Such potential for Darkness,” Maleficent lamented. “And yet you squander it, allying with this fool of a boy. Do you not realize that among my forces, you were one of the most powerful beings in the worlds?”

“That’s not the kind of power I want!” Riku seethed. “My Darkness isn’t the same thing as your Darkness!”

“Hate to break it to ya, pal,” Pete laughed, “but Darkness is Darkness! Same difference everywhere ya go!”

“What was it Sora was saying but a moment ago?” Maleficent smiled subtly. “That two hearts connected even in the most superficial of ways remain bonded? Is that not our nature, Riku?”

“NO!” Riku yelled. “I’LL NEVER WORK FOR YOU AGAIN!”

“There is a room reserved for you at our new headquarters, you know,” Maleficent told him. “Come with me now, and I shall treat you as my very own offspring. You will have all you could ever want.”

“Like any kid would want you for a mom,” Riku growled. “You can forget it! There’s nothing you can promise me that’d make me go crawling back to you!”

Maleficent let out an audible sigh. “Such resolve, such conviction…wasted on the wrong cause. I see quite a bit of myself in you, Riku. Yet that is what helps me to realize you shall continue down this misguided road of Dawn no matter what I say. After all, no force could persuade me to the Light. Alas, it is as I suspected.”

“If you knew I wasn’t gonna give in,” Riku asked, “why’d you even come here?”

“Why, to greet your new friends, of course!” Maleficent spread out her hand to gesture to Woody and Buzz. “Such lovely playthings.”

“Listen,” Buzz told her, “I know a villain when I see a villain, and you are definitely the most archetypal of villains! Which means it’s my duty to bring you to justice!”

“Not to mention as the Sheriff in this town,” Woody added, “I can’t have you running around and threatening my friends.”

“GET OUTTA HERE!” Donald punctuated, pointing directly at Maleficent.

“Threaten?” Maleficent feigned shock. “I did not come here to threaten. In fact, I came here to act. After all, you must be stopped before you can truly stand in our way.”

Without any further warning, she raised her staff high, swirling it in the air. Before anyone could stop her, she let loose a burst of Darkness that engulfed an entire shelf of boxed toys.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” Riku yelled as Maleficent turned away, summoning a Corridor for herself and Pete.

“Ensured you will regret your decision,” Maleficent said with a chuckle before she strode away.

“Later, losers!” Pete concluded as he followed. And then the Corridor was no more.

“This keeps getting stranger and stranger,” Buzz mused.

“Uh, fellas?” Goofy cried, quite worried. “LOOK!”

He pointed toward the shelf that Maleficent had just enchanted. A single box was beginning to shake rather angrily, the toy inside it bent on breaking loose.

“The Darkness,” Riku realized. “She’s increased it around those toys! Whatever’s about to come out of that box – “

“It’s not gonna be good!” Sora moaned.

The box wiggled off the shelf, hitting the floor. In a burst of plastic packaging, the toy in the box ripped its way through the cardboard lid with a menacing cry of “LIGHTYEAR!”

He was a figurine that obviously came from Buzz’s toy line, and gave the others the impression of where he’d learned to spot an archetypal villain, given that he was clad in purple armor that didn’t even give a hint of what a flesh body might look like if he weren’t plastic. Bright red LEDs shone from his eyes; his arms culminated in fingers that were practically silver claws.

“No…” Buzz gasped. “It can’t be! EVIL EMPEROR ZURG!”

“Oh, not again,” Woody groaned. “Can’t you just have another father-son reunion with this one?”

“I’m not even sure why that worked on the LAST one!” Buzz retorted. “Canonically, we’re not even related!”

“Oh, you have NO idea how long I’ve waited in stasis for you to arrive so I could wreak my ULTIMATE REVENGE!” Zurg crowed. “Though, come to think of it, I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve waited, since, you know, I was in stasis. But now is where your reign of so-called heroics and justice and all that mushy stuff comes TO AN END ONCE AND FOR ALL! Now that I have the ultimate superweapon!”

“The ultimate superweapon!” Donald gasped.

But Woody just rolled his eyes. “And where is this ultimate superweapon?”

“Er…” Zurg realized he didn’t actually know the answer to that question. “Would you believe it’s in my other pants?” Frantically, he cast his gaze about the shelves, looking for the answer.

Then, all of a sudden, there it was: a cross-displayed item from another line. The ultimate superweapon.

“OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T!” Zurg said hastily. “BECAUSE IT’S RIGHT HERE!”

Before anyone could guess his next move, he darted to the left, making for the item he’d spotted.

“Wha – “ Sora tracked him with his gaze. “Oh, NO!”

The plastic cockpit panels of a Gigas clamped into place over Zurg, who gave a raucous laugh. “TIME’S UP, LIGHTYEAR!” the evil emperor toy yelled as he aimed one cannon-arm at Buzz. “No, wait. What am I doing? This isn’t right.”

“Did ya see the error of your ways?” Goofy asked.

“Yes, I did,” Zurg replied. “I’m not supposed to destroy my archnemesis first. I’m supposed to destroy his FRIENDS and watch him SUFFER!”

The cannon turned on the now-quaking trio of LGMs.

“WAK!” Donald barreled into the aliens, knocking them out of the way just before the cannon fire could blow them all to bits.

As they regained their bearings, the LGMs crowded around Donald in awe. “You have saved our lives!” one gushed.

“We are eternally grateful!” the other two said in unison.

“Ohhh, why don’t I like this?” Donald groaned.

“Okay. You know what? Fine!” Sora braced his Keyblade. “It’s not like you’re the first evil emperor we’ve taken down! It’s not even like you’re the first evil emperor we’ve taken down this week!”

“Is that so?” Zurg posed from inside the Gigas. “Then HAVE AT ME!”

* * *

_A boss battle against Zurg in his Gigas commences. It is comedically easy; the health bar is very short, and Zurg takes lots of damage very quickly. However, before you can erase Zurg’s last HP, a cutscene triggers._

* * *

“ALMOST GOT HIM!” Sora yelled as he rushed up behind the Gigas to strike.

Zurg spun the mech’s arms, knocking Sora aside. However, this was the perfect diversion for Riku to leap up behind the Gigas (and if anyone asked, Sora was going to claim that was his intent the whole time). He charged up a Dark Firaga close to the chest.

At the same time, Donald was swirling his staff in the air, conjuring a regular Fire spell at its tip like a torch. He planned to strike out at the same time as Riku for the finishing blow.

However, with a cry of “YOU HAVE SAVED OUR LIVES! WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!”, the LGMs rushed Donald, causing him to trip and send the Fire wild. Riku’s shot would have been true, but Donald’s caught it off guard, causing both spells to ricochet into the display of boxes Maleficent had Darkened.

And a second box hit the floor.

Sora, a mere inch away from the box (which was more like a foot to him given his size), regarded the text on the side of the cardboard. “Hey, guys? What’s a ‘Warp Darkmatter’?”

Buzz gasped.

Then the back of the box broke open, albeit not as dramatically as Zurg’s had. The figure that casually rose, giving an “Ahhhh” as he stretched his plastic joints, looked at first to be a palette-swap of Buzz – purple and red for Buzz’s green and white, sky-blue skin where Buzz’s was beige. Upon closer examination, however, it was clear the two couldn’t have been more different in face shape, height, and morality. Not to mention the one arm Warp had that was completely a cannon.

“Thanks for breakin’ me out,” Warp told Sora with a sly smile. “And to think I woulda missed out on this action.”

“Oh, please tell me you’re one of the good guys!” Sora cried.

“Hmm…tempting, tempting,” Warp mused. “I do appreciate a good deception gambit. But given the situation, I think I’ll go with the blunt honesty route this time: no. I’m the worst guy.”

“DARKMATTER!” Zurg yelled from the Gigas. “STOP LAZING AROUND AND DISPOSE OF THESE DO-GOODERS!”

“Sheesh, you don’t have to get angry about it!” Warp called back. “I was gonna do that anyway, you know!”

Donald glared daggers at the LGMs; “Look. What. You. DIIIIIID!”

“Sooooooorry,” the trio of aliens chorused.

Warp hopped down from the box and began to saunter toward Buzz. “Time to settle our old score,” he told the other ranger. “Oh, but where’s your little team? Is Buzzie-Wuzzie all on his lonesome? Considering that it usually takes four on one for you to match me, well, this could be a problem.”

“I’ve got a new team now,” Buzz growled. “And this time, you’ll find the odds stacked even greater against not just you, but the very concept of evil!”

Woody stepped in beside him and pointed dramatically at Warp; “As sheriff, I proclaim you under arrest!”

“Yeah,” Warp told him. “See how well that works out for you.”

* * *

_The boss battle is now Warp Darkmatter (running free on the floor) and Zurg (in the Gigas) at the same time. Warp is a boss of actual reasonable difficulty, with fast-paced laser fire and martial-art attacks. Zurg’s HP has been restored, albeit only to the short bar he had in the decoy fight, but he still lays down cover fire that protects Warp, and is now much better at evading. You get no Gigas to assist you in this fight. You must knock both unconscious to win._

* * *

Warp clenched his teeth, retreating to high ground. “THIS ISN’T OVER!” he yelled.

“Quick!” Sora cried. “Get the emperor guy!”

Zurg had been unceremoniously knocked out of his Gigas, made to lie on his stomach. As he attempted to pry himself up, he saw the tip of Way to the Dawn pointed in his face.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Riku told him menacingly.

From atop the highest shelf, Warp proclaimed, “IT’S TIME TO TAKE THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!”

Pressing a button on his arm, he popped out his wings. “READY OR NOT, LIGHTYEAR!” he yelled as he leapt.

And then, utterly unaware of the fact that he was not a flying toy, crashed straight down to the ground.

“WHAT THE – “ Warp groaned as the others surrounded him.

“You might know all there is to know about being a villain,” Buzz said cockily as he stood over his fictional rival, “but it looks like you’ve still got a lot to learn about being a toy.”

* * *

Zurg and Warp’s boxes shook in protest as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku wrapped them up in duct tape to ensure the two villains couldn’t escape again; their vows of revenge came out muffled.

“That oughta hold ‘em,” Sora declared.

“Okay,” Woody sighed. “Now that THAT’S taken care of, we need to get the LGMs back to Rex and Hamm!”

“You have saved our lives!” the LGMs said as they clustered around a flustered Donald. “We are eternally grateful!”

“Pretty sure we won’t lose ‘em this time, so long as we keep Donald around,” Riku laughed.

“THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” Donald yelled. “GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!”

“Aw, but I always thought you wanted a fan club!” Goofy laughed. “A-hyuck!”

* * *

_Return to the entryway of Galaxy Toys on the first floor._

* * *

“For the last time!” Donald yelled at the LGMs. “STOP FOLLOWING ME AROUND! You gotta stay where it’s safe, with Hamm and Rex!”

“Uh, guys?” Sora broke in. “Where IS Rex?”

Only Hamm was visible roaming around the entryway, regarding the shelves. “Eh, that’s new!” he muttered.

“Hamm!” Woody barked. “What happened to Rex?”

“Oh, yeah,” Hamm answered. “He suddenly remembered that one game he’s been itchin’ to play. What was it? ‘Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Game – 1.5 Final Remix’? Yeah, he went lookin’ for it.”

“Wha – noooooo!” Woody groaned in frustration. “You were SUPPOSED to stay here where it was SAFE! That’s why we made Rex the lookout!”

“Hey,” Hamm argued, “you just told Rex he had to be the lookout. Nobody told me I had to be the lookout for the lookout.”

Woody ground the heel of his hand into his forehead. “Okay. I guess we’re going to go find Rex. AGAIN.”

“STAY HERE!” Donald told the LGMs as he pointed his staff to them.

“You, uh…you might wanna act as lookout to make sure the LGMs don’t wander off, too,” Buzz muttered to Hamm.

“See that?” Hamm pointed out. “Nice, clear instructions! Woulda paid to give me those before Rex ran off!”

“Well…” Sora shrugged. “At least we get to explore more of the toy store?”

* * *

_Head to the video game section of the store._

* * *

Rex wasn’t hard to find; the copies of the game in question were stacked on the front display, and he was rooting through them with fervor. “HOORAY!” he cried as he leapt down from the shelf, hurrying to greet his friends. “Look, look! I found it! I used to spend hours playing the original version while Andy wasn’t home! And now it has updated graphics, new mechanics, and exclusive new fully voice-acted cutscenes!”

“I thought you couldn’t get past level one,” Woody scoffed. “Short arms? Does that ring a bell?”

“I also thought you’d given up on this game, since you’d basically defeated it in real life,” Buzz added.

“Oh, who cares?” Rex retorted. “I’m having fun! Now somebody get me up to that counter so I can pay!”

“You have money?” Riku asked, trying not to laugh.

“I – “ Rex realized the problem. “…Oh. Aww, I was looking forward to seeing if I could finally make it to the level based on my favorite episode, where Team Lightyear has to battle NOS-4-A2 in the wreckage of Zurg Tower – “

“No time for that,” Buzz told him. “Besides, you know how that ends. We’ve gotta pull ourselves together and return to our original mission.”

“Can’t I at least look at the strategy guides?” Rex moaned. “I wanna know how to beat the Millenial Bugs secret boss!” Saying so, he meandered to that very shelf, pulling the shiny volumes off and strewing them about.

Buzz intercepted him, pulling the guide Rex wanted from his hands. “Next time,” he assured. “Right now, we have other things to worry about.”

When Rex simply stood in place, looking quite dismayed, Buzz patted him on the nose sympathetically. Then the two turned to reunite with the others.

“So what next?” Riku asked as Buzz and Rex returned. “We’ve explored the whole place, and we haven’t seen any trace of Xehanort. I don’t like this.”

“Maybe there’s somewhere we haven’t checked?” Sora suggested.

“Or maybe…what you were looking for was in front of you the whole time.”

“GAH!” Sora flinched at the sound of the familiar voice.

Young Xehanort dipped down from where he’d levitated in the air, boots gently touching the tile.

“STOP DOING THAT!” Sora yelled at him.

“It’s no use,” Buzz sighed. “He’s a villain, and a villain never passes up the chance for a dramatic entrance.”

“If that’s so,” a second voice chimed in, “then I suppose I am the villain of the story. Not that it makes any difference to me.”

The other incarnation of Xehanort descended beside Young Xehanort, though he stopped short of the floor, hovering a few inches above – as was his habit.

“You…” Sora gasped.

“Ansem,” Riku growled.

Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, chuckled. “Did you think yourselves so easily rid of me?”

Weapons were summoned into hand. “WHERE’S WOODY’S FRIEND?” Sora cried.

“The girl?” Ansem chuckled. “That is your concern? Not the countless hearts I have taken from the denizens of this bastion?”

“The other toys!” Woody gasped. “They aren’t moving because YOU made them that way!”

“Such fascinating creatures,” Ansem stated. “Plastic, vinyl, and cloth, yet bearing hearts all the same. It has yielded many discoveries.”

“Perhaps you forgot that Ansem, too, is an academic,” Young Xehanort teased. “I am beginning to find more and more in common with myself than I thought possible. When I contacted him with my desire to find answers, he was all too happy to assist in the experiment. Our first order was discovering whether toys could be robbed of their hearts. What we found was intriguing, to say the least. A toy without a heart doesn’t become a Heartless or birth a Nobody. It simply ends. Becomes hollow, ready to be filled with what we see fit.”

“That can’t be right!” Sora cried. “There’s gotta be a way to put their hearts back!”

“All of their hearts are in my possession,” Ansem stated, “and I shall keep them. After all, they warrant study, and we know my other selves will agree.”

“So that’s your game?” Riku growled. “Create an army of Heartless in toy bodies? Rob them of all their free will and self-control?”

“Have I touched a nerve?” Ansem retorted.

“I know it’s us you really want,” Riku seethed. “And you? You’re after me. You have no business ruining these people’s lives. So why don’t you take a page from Maleficent and just cut to the chase? Try and get me to fall back to the Darkness! I’m the one you want! Leave the others out of it!”

“You don’t need Bo Peep!” Sora added. “Just give her back!”

This incited the two Xehanorts to share a foreboding laugh. As it subsided, Young Xehanort said to Ansem, “Did you hear that? They want us to turn the experiment on them. Just as you believed.”

“And said we had no further use for the girl,” Ansem added. Now addressing Sora and Riku: “That is correct. She falls short of the requirements. In other words…”

He raised a hand to the sky, swirling it in the air. In a spherical cyclone of Darkness that was gone as quickly as it had come, a porcelain doll appeared suspended in the air behind Ansem, stone-still. She sported a billowing dress of pink and white, her blonde curls tucked neatly beneath a bonnet.

“BO!” Woody yelled.

“CAN YOU HEAR US?” Buzz yelled at her.

“As a matter of fact, she cannot,” Ansem snickered. “She yet retains her heart; she is merely in a state of sleep. What may interest you, however, is that our Marionettes do more than simply inhabit the hollow. They can also take over those with heart, overriding them from the inside.”

Young Xehanort snapped his fingers in the air. A Marionette appeared beside Bo, looking menacingly at her.

“Will you let her fall to Darkness?” Ansem asked. “Or will one of you take the fall yourself to spare her?”

“No…” Sora said in utter shock. “NO! YOU CAN’T!”

“Time is running short,” Young Xehanort said. “What will it be?”

The Marionette wriggled.

Woody didn’t have to think twice about it. He surged forward. But Buzz knew what would happen. If Woody rescued Bo, the Marionette would take him over instead, robbing him of free will and self-control.

And Buzz wasn’t about to let that happen to his best friend.

So he charged, overtaking Woody and shoving him roughly off-balance so that the sheriff collapsed. Leaping into the air, Buzz fired his laser at the Marionette. The Heartless dodged as Buzz practically tackled Bo, pushing her out of the vicinity.

And the Marionette took its opportunity, phasing directly into Buzz.

“NO!” Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy screamed.

“Buzz…” Woody said softly from where he lay on the floor. “What did you do…”

Buzz, brimming with Darkness, turned to face his friends, eyes betraying a dead lack of comprehension. No, it wasn’t Buzz Lightyear anymore, but the Heartless piloting his body. Deliberately, he raised his laser, aiming it at Woody’s forehead, the red dot glowing over a place where a future garbageman had burned a mark into him a long time ago.

“LOOK OUT!” Goofy intercepted the blast, shield out; the red laser ricocheted into the nearest shelf.

Buzz continued to fire, the red blasting against the knight’s shield again and again.

It was too much. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?” Sora screamed, charging Young Xehanort.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Riku cried, hurtling toward Ansem.

Sora’s Keyblade bit through empty air; Young Xehanort had warped away. “I thought I had made it clear,” he said dryly, reappearing in front of Sora – only to warp away from another blow. “I am testing the strength of their bonds.”

The Guardian rose from Ansem’s back, its massive fists parrying Riku’s flurry of blows. “They have already lasted longer than expected,” Ansem said smugly. “Perhaps they are closer to human than initially believed.”

Sora missed again as Young Xehanort appeared across the game area. “What is this bond that powers the hearts of toys?” he mocked. “The love of a child? Pitiful.” Another slash from Sora phased right through him.

“Perhaps this is a gateway to learning how to control those of flesh,” Ansem mused, throwing an energy ball that forced Riku to dodge-roll out of the way. “An army would serve our war well.”

From atop a shelf of games, Young Xehanort asked, “When they are worlds apart, can cloth and plastic hold onto their hearts?” Sora, following the voice, hurried to attack. When he reached Young Xehanort, he slashed again and again, but each blow phased through as the boy walked casually across the shelf’s length; “All that is clear now is that they are fallible to the same weakness as those of flesh and blood. Give them a great pain – the loss of a loved one, an impossible choice of self-sacrifice or letting that loss occur – and the chasm is opened for the Darkness to seep inside.”

“Did you truly believe the Heartless could pierce her?” Ansem mocked as he threw Riku aside telekinetically, casually flipping a hand. “She had not invited the Darkness in. Your friends were much more vulnerable, filled with fear for her. The Darkness answers those who call it. You should know…you call it still.”

Young Xehanort was briefly visible on the floor; Sora jumped down to chase after him, only to find him invisible. His gaze traveled over to where Rex and Donald were attempting to restrain Buzz, Goofy blocking the laser blasts and Woody staring on in dismay. “SORA!” Donald cried.

“DO SOMETHIIIIING!” Rex wailed.

Sora’s wrist was suddenly seized; Young Xehanort held him aloft. “Which will it be?” he asked. “Your friends, or revenge?”

“Let me go!” Sora kicked out at him. “I have to help them!”

“You made your choice,” Young Xehanort growled. “Now, it’s too late.”

With his other hand, he forged a sphere of bright red magic. He let it fly at the exact moment he relinquished his grip on Sora.

Sora was flung across the game shop, on his way to collide with an enormous display screen. Said screen suddenly lit up, revealing the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command logo in full color.

“SORA!” Riku cried, losing his focus.

And in that moment, Ansem released a burst of Darkness that bowled Riku right over.

Sora did not hit the screen. Instead, he passed right through it as though it were liquid. The last thing he saw was Ansem hoisting Riku up by the upper body, Riku limp as the monster figure and the doll had been.

* * *

Planet Z had fallen. The laboratory was in shambles, all of Zurg’s minions thrown into the dungeon by the usurper. The usurper that had already possessed all of the mechanical and electronic devices in the room.

He had his back to the door when the three heroes clad in Star Command uniforms rushed into the room. “Ah…right on time.” Thin and silver, hovering off the ground on delicate bat-wings forged of glowing red energy, the robotic vampire NOS-4-A2 fixed his red-lensed retina on the trio. “After all, what is a coup d’etat without a band of plucky rebels to try their hand and fail?”

“You’re not gonna get away with this!” This came from a woman with deep blue skin and fiery red-orange hair, the Tangean princess, Mira Nova.

“Yeah!” This from the tall, round, crimson-spotted Jo-Adian, Booster Munchapper. “This planet doesn’t belong to you! Well, uh, technically we don’t want it in Zurg’s hands either, but, ahhhh…”

“Easy fix,” the shortest of them all, the robotic XR said with a wave of his hand. “After we take out the trash, I get dibs on revamping this place into a resort and spa. Heh…’re-vamped.’ See what I did there? See what I – ahem. Anyway, we’ll take care of that later. For now, VIVA LA REVOLUCION!”

NOS-4-A2 chuckled, a deep, menacing sound. “And where is Buzz Lightyear? Late to the party? Or simply the late?”

“Guys,” Booster admitted, “I’m starting to get really worried about Buzz. What if he doesn’t make it here in time?”

“He’ll make it!” Mira assured. “I bet any minute, he’s gonna come right in through one of those holes blasted in the ceiling and land dramatically so he can give NOS-4-A2 a quippy heroic catchphrase!”

With the rapidly approaching sound of “AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA - !”, Sora, restored to flesh and blood, plummeted through said hole in the ceiling and landed on the floor, stomach-down.

“This is NOT what we ordered!” XR shook his fist at the ceiling. “I demand a refund!”

“Who are you?” Booster asked in awe as Sora got to his feet.

“Wha – is this another world?” Sora asked, flinching as he looked around. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, CIVILIANS,” NOS-4-A2 scoffed. “At least it will be entertaining watching them try to defend him and themselves.”

“Hey!” Sora realized. “He’s the bad guy, isn’t he?”

“Gee, what was your first clue?” XR taunted.

“NOS-4-A2 has taken over Planet Z,” Booster explained, “and he’s about to use Zurg Tower as a base where he’ll turn everyone in the entire galaxy into Wirewolves!”

“You gotta get outta here!” Mira told Sora. “He’ll crush you!”

“No way!” Sora summoned his Keyblade to hand. “I may not know much about what’s going on, but I know this guy’s gotta go down!”

“Idea,” XR brought up. “He fights the scary vampire, and I take the rest of the day off. Mental health day!”

“No,” Mira scolded.

“Gee,” Booster said, “if you can really help…well, we can use all we can get! The whole galaxy is at stake!”

“The galaxy, huh?” Sora repeated. “Now I know I gotta help out!”

NOS-4-A2’s wings flashed brilliant red as he hoisted himself higher into the air. “Luckily, I’m used to fighting four of you at once,” he said smugly. “Come at me, won’t you? This ought to be some fun.”

* * *

_Commence the boss battle against NOS-4-A2! For this battle and this battle only, Mira, Booster, and XR are going to sub in as your party members. For each, you get an exclusive team attack:_

_Mira – “Phase II”: Sora and Mira go back-to-back and nod to each other. Then Mira phases down into the floor. Sora blocks an enemy blow from NOS-4-A2 and holds that parry to keep him distracted while Mira comes up from the floor behind him and strikes him in the back._

_Booster – “Ground Pound”: Booster grabs Sora and carries him up into the air, propelling from his jet pack. He then lets go of Sora midair; both curl into balls. They front-flip thrice before landing hard on the floor, sending out a damage-inducing shockwave._

_XR – “The Big Guns”: XR brings out ten laser guns attached to metal arms that protrude from his back, holding two more laser pistols in his hands. Sora leaps up behind him, and at the same time that XR fires all twelve guns, Sora lets off a classic Meteor Shower Shotlock (I am hoping this is the first and last time I will ever have to bring up Shotlock in this hypothetical)._

_However, for this many exclusive team attacks to be worth anything, this means NOS-4-A2 doesn’t lose health easily! He has a host of attacks to use. At simplest, he charges himself up with electricity and fires off a sizeable beam of it to target one party member (usually Sora). This counts as Thunder damage. He can also summon mobs of yellow “Hornet” robots clad in black capes that can divert attention away from him and absorb Team Attack damage (such as Sora parrying a Hornet in Phase II instead of NOS-4-A2). Metal tentacles will protrude from the walls and forge themselves into cannons that let loose energy blasts or maces that swing at the party melee-style. Finally, NOS-4-A2 can also summon a larger metal tentacle that takes the shape of a lamprey with bladed teeth, swinging around the battlefield to bite away the party’s HP. (Most of these attacks are allusions to the BLoSC episode “Dirty Work,” for the curious.) I know I haven’t been consistent about assigning boss themes, but it is also very important to me that this fight be set to a remix of “The Tumbling” from BBS._

_Take NOS-4-A2 down with the help of your new team members!_

* * *

“No,” NOS-4-A2 growled as the four heroes advanced on him. “This cannot be! You are amateurs! Rookies! Without your precious Buzz Lightyear, you are NOTHING!”

“I don’t really think you get how a ‘team’ works,” Mira quipped.

“We don’t just rely on one person to carry us!” Booster stated. “We all work together! Even with new friends!”

“Seeing as it’s very clear this guy doesn’t even know what ‘friendship’ is and has never been invited to so much as a birthday party in his life,” XR sighed, “can we PLEASE skip to the part where we dispose of him? ANY TIME NOW!”

With a grunt, Mira delivered a spin-kick into NOS-4-A2’s chest. During the scuffle, a wooden plank had come exposed from the wall, and the energy vampire, as all vampires would, perished upon becoming impaled with it, the lights blinking out from his LED eyes. Finally, he fell still.

“Wait a minute,” Sora realized. “Buzz Lightyear? Did he say ‘Buzz Lightyear’?”

“You KNOW Buzz?” Mira said in disbelief.

“Did you find him?” Booster asked. “Is he okay?”

“Uh…wait.” Sora scratched his head. “I’m confused. Buzz Lightyear comes from a – OH! THE GAME!”

It all made sense now. The screen. The game. Sora had been inside the video game the whole time. Which meant these people’s Buzz Lightyear wasn’t his Buzz Lightyear. But did that mean they were the team he’d mentioned from his false memories?

“I…uh…” Sora shrugged. “It’s complicated. Buzz is kinda in trouble, and I’m on my own quest to try and save him.”

“We lost contact with him before entering Planet Z’s atmosphere,” Mira said worriedly. “We haven’t heard from him since.”

“We’re worried that he might be…you know…” Booster whimpered.

“A GONER!” XR wailed. “CAPUT! YESTERDAY’S NEWS! THE FACT THAT I WOULD INHERIT HIS CAR AND PREMIUM GOLF CLUBS AS OF THAT LINE I GOT INTO HIS WILL WITHOUT HIM NOTICING IS SMALL COMFORT!”

“I wonder if there’s a connection,” Sora muttered to himself. Their Buzz, his Buzz…maybe it wasn’t a coincidence. What if the fate of one Buzz Lightyear affected the fate of another? He knew in his heart that the Buzz he’d been talking to could still be saved, and that meant this one could be, too. “He’ll be fine,” Sora stated. “I know Buzz Lightyear, and he has a strong heart. He won’t go down without a fight, and he wouldn’t even go down in a fight! He’ll pull through! After all, he knows he’s got some great friends to get back to.”

“The sooner, the better,” Mira sighed. “I’m just…worried about him. But you’re right. Buzz is pretty tough.”

“Thanks for helping us out,” Booster told Sora. “Hey, what’s your name?”

“I’m Sora,” Sora said proudly. “Who are you guys?”

“Mira,” Mira stated with a smile.

“I’m Booster!” Booster said cheerily.

Sora’s hand was then seized by a pair of metal ones that proceeded to shake it fervently. “XR, Robot Ranger,” XR greeted. “Say, you wouldn’t be willing to talk a little business, would you? That key-shaped sword of yours is a novelty. Tacky, don’t get me wrong, but definitely a collector’s item. What say you hand over the patent to it and we split the profits sixty-forty in my favor?”

“Uh…no can do!” Sora said quickly. “The, uh…the key sword is one-of-a-kind. …Or at least I thought it was supposed to be once. But the tech in it is…special! I can’t give it up! It also means that when I go after Buzz, I have to go alone. You guys can’t come with.”

“Aww…” Booster slumped over.

“Good luck!” Mira told Sora cheerily.

“Remember,” XR told Sora, “I knew you when you took down the notorious NOS-4-A2, and you knew me. Free bragging rights for the both of us! …But in all seriousness, kid, we couldn’t’ve done it without ya. Thanks for the save. Now go get us back our team leader!”

“Oh,” Booster added, “and tell him we say hi!”

“I will,” Sora said with a nod. “He’ll appreciate that.”

He turned to run out of the laboratory. Once he’d left, XR said, “Soooooo…about getting one of those key-swords installed as my newest attachment…”

In the immediate next room, Sora was faced with the screen, giving him a view back to the game shop in Galaxy Toys.

“Those memories are more real than you think,” he said to a Buzz Lightyear who wasn’t listening. “One day, I know both of your teams can become the same one.”

Then he forged ahead, back to the world where he was plastic.

* * *

Flying forth from the screen, Sora planted down on the game shop floor on one knee. Instantly, Goofy and Donald were beside him; “SORA!”

Sora smiled at them, victorious. “I’m back.”

“You all right, Sora?” Woody approached as well.

“Yeah,” Sora confirmed. “Doin’ great, actually. And you?”

The sea of downturned faces – Donald, Goofy, Woody, Rex, now Hamm and the LGMs who had caught up – met Sora like a tidal wave. More striking was who was not there. “Buzz?” he asked solemnly, not needing to fill out the rest of the question. “And…and Riku?”

“The Xehanorts took ‘em away,” Goofy said mournfully.

“No…” Sora took a step back. “No, no, NO! We gotta get ‘em back!”

“I agree,” Woody stated. “But how?”

“I…don’t know,” Sora replied. “But we have to!”

“Excuse me,” a new voice broke in. “Are you Sora?”

“Huh?” Sora turned to behold the speaker. It was the first time he’d seen her awake; he looked her up from foot to head, from ruffled white skirt to pink bonnet. “Wait…Bo Peep?”

Bo nodded. “Yes. I want to thank you for coming to save me.”

“YOU’RE OKAY!” Sora cried excitedly, throwing out his arms. “Woody was so worried about you! I’m glad you didn’t get hurt!”

“I’m fine,” Bo assured him. “Thanks to all of you.” Her smile faded. “But it seems Buzz isn’t. And your friend, Riku…he is special to you, isn’t he?”

“You don’t even know,” Sora sighed.

“I might have a guess,” Bo said rather slyly. “Now, are we gonna go get back my old moving buddy, or what?”

“Whoooooa no,” Woody told Bo. “You can’t come along. It’s too dangerous! And I mean, you’re porcelain; what if you crack?”

“I’m flattered you’re worried about me,” Bo told him. “But I thought you liked it when I took the lead. I’m not staying out of this one.”

With a twirl, she threw off her gown and bonnet, casting them aside. She now wore a blue pantsuit cinched with pink; Sora realized it had been the under-layer for her dress. With a flourish, Bo twirled her regained crook.

Woody couldn’t hold back the impressed smile, the star-struck laugh. “Eheheheh…” He quickly regained composure. “Okay. Together, then. But I’m not letting you get hurt.”

“I’m not letting me get hurt either,” Bo resolved.

“But that still leaves us with no clues!” Donald reminded the others.

“SIR!” The voice of the Sergeant cut through; he had his troop in tow. “Urgent news from the field!”

“Is it about Buzz and Riku?” Woody asked hurriedly.

“It might be a long shot,” the Sergeant admitted, “but we’ve sighted a shadowy portal in the Kid Korral. Matched the attack patterns of the enemy. Might lead us to somethin’. We can infiltrate from a window in the main Buzz Lightyear display. I’ll head there and get it open.”

“That’s GREAT!” Woody cried. “Oh, Sarge, you’re a LIFE-SAVER!”

“Hang on a little longer, Riku,” Sora muttered. “I’ll find you.”

“Now you all stay put this time!” Donald ordered Rex, Hamm, and the LGMs.

“I’ve learned my lesson,” Rex said mournfully. “This is all my fault!”

“Aww, don’t be so down on yerself,” Goofy told him. “Xehanort woulda found a way to take him from us no matter what ya did. He’s just that kinda bad guy. We know ya didn’t mean any harm!”

“Just promise you’ll bring Buzz back?” Rex pleaded.

“With batteries included?” Hamm added.

“I have to,” Sora assured them. “I have an important message to deliver to him.”

“Journey safely!” one of the LGMs cried.

“Farewell!” another said.

“You have saved our lives – “ the third began.

“NOOOOOOO!” Donald raged; the LGM waddled several paces back and abandoned his train of thought.

“Don’t worry,” Bo assured. “We’re gonna get all our friends back.”

* * *

_Buzz and Riku are no longer available in your party, but Bo Peep has been added. Since this is within the character limit, your party is Woody, Bo, Goofy, and Donald by default. You can no longer use the Rocket Ruckus team attack, but it gets replaced by one for Bo:_

_Counting Sheep: Sora points his Keyblade at a foe while Bo points her crook. A horde of plastic sheep bound toward the enemy and trample them._

_(Also, I know Bo’s TS4 outfit wasn’t canonized until after KHIII, and I promised nothing that was made too late to scoot under the door for this game, but I think transplanting one outfit is fine, given that it probably would’ve had concept art at this stage anyway. Keep that in mind should Frozen II ever come into the discussion…)_

_Make your way to the Kid Korral. You will notice the door is blocked, but the window leads the way in._

* * *

As Sora beheld the barrier that had held the Kid Korral doors in place from the other side, he groaned audibly. “The entrance was blocked by BLOCKS?”

“Not my pun this time,” Donald grunted. “I woulda made a better pun than that.”

“Hey, fellas!” Goofy pointed. “There’s another one of them Gigas toys!”

“I wonder if one of those could move the blocks out of the way,” Woody murmured.

“Anyone wanna give it a go?” Bo asked.

“DIBS!” Sora raced to the Gigas.

“Not again…” Donald groaned.

* * *

_Use the Gigas to magnetically move the blocks and open the way to the Buzz Lightyear section. After this, move back into the Kid Korral._

* * *

As the others fussed with the blocks, Donald paced about inside the new area. Then he spotted it: “Up there!”

Dark smoke billowed from a ventilation duct overhead.

“How’re we gonna reach THAT?” Sora groaned.

“Where there’s a will,” Bo assured him, “there’s a way.”

“Hmm.” Woody thought it over. “There are more blocks here. Maybe if we stack them high enough – “

Several Heartless-piloted Gigas suddenly appeared, breaking his train of thought.

* * *

_Defeat the Gigas mob. Once all the Gigas have fallen still, you can examine the Kid Korral play area, including the maze and the ball pit, to find and assemble the scattered blocks with a Gigas. With a classic Final Fantasy victory fanfare, the blocks will form into the shape of an immense Cactuar that bridges from floor to vent._

_Donald:_ Hey, is that –

 _Sora:_ A cactus?

 _Woody:_ Big deal. Western-type toys like me see those all the time.

_A brief scene shows the vent popping open._

_Goofy:_ Looks like it’s our way up to the Darkness!

_Climb the Cactuar to enter the duct and find a save point, a Moogle Shop, and a Corridor of Darkness’ entrance. Once you’ve taken care of business, enter the Corridor._

* * *

On the other side of the Corridor was a deep, dark void, so all-encompassing that Sora thought, at first, he was back in the Realm of Darkness. He, Woody, Bo, Donald, and Goofy raced through the miasma, desperately seeking a sign of their lost friends.

And a sign, they found. Two pillars of Darkness, holding two unconscious figures suspended in the air.

“BUZZ!” Woody and Bo yelled.

“RIKU!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried.

But neither responded.

Now the party noted Young Xehanort standing between the two columns, patiently awaiting their arrival. “Xehanort,” Sora growled.

“Let my friends go!” Woody declared.

“I don’t think I will,” Young Xehanort scoffed. “Look to your space ranger friend in particular. See how the Darkness flows through him. Old resentments gather in the corners of his heart: despair at learning his true nature as a plaything rather than a space ranger. Regret of separation from the first child to care about him. And most of all, fear of losing control. All I needed to do was gently nudge the door further open, and he became a conduit…in a surprisingly human way.” He paced back and forth between the two. “Such hurt, these two share. I would have never thought. The same guilt, the same fears…prime candidates for the Dark. In the end, neither had the strength to overcome it. So shall become the rest, I suppose. Perhaps the Seeker of Darkness was the most correct of us all.”

“No.” Woody took a step back. “No, no, no…that can’t be true.” The Dark surged about him like errant waters. “We won’t all end up like that. …Will we all end up like that?”

“No way!” Sora yelled. “Buzz and Riku were strong! And that same strength will shine through! But for now, so long as they can’t use it, then we gotta be strong for them! That’s what friends do! I made Riku a promise that I’d never give up on him, and I meant it!”

“And you?” Xehanort regarded Woody with a smirk. “Don’t lie to me. Hasn’t a part of you always wanted to be the star of the show? For this garish light-show of a toy to be taken out of the picture, leaving only one favorite?”

“No.” Woody shook his head. “It isn’t like that anymore.”

“You tell ‘im,” Bo encouraged.

“Through thick and thin, Buzz is my friend,” Woody asserted. “And I’m not giving up on him either. I’m making sure we all get home safe to Bonnie, where we belong.”

“Sometimes, our friends get on our nerves,” Sora insisted. “We get jealous of them, and we wanna upstage them. But I know. Take it from me. Those things you get jealous of? That can turn out to be the stuff you think makes them so wonderful. And when you think about them instead of yourself, you’ll realize they’re great because they are who they are. Even if it means they’re better than you at some things, or they’re liked by more people. You feel good because you want that for them.”

“Yeah,” Woody realized. “Yeah! That’s it exactly!”

“Because your friends are your power?” Young Xehanort scoffed. “If the Light of friendship is your strength, then consider that the Darkness of being alone is a power even stronger. After all, Darkness is the heart’s true nature.”

Now Woody had truly had enough. He marched forward confidently, staring Young Xehanort down. “Whatever you’re talking about,” he snapped, “I don’t care. Now put Buzz and Riku back the way they were, and get lost!”

“Or else what, toy?” Young Xehanort taunted.

“Yeah,” Woody affirmed. “I am a toy. And a friend.” He took a step forward, storming the Darkness away around his leading foot. “My guess is no one’s ever loved you before. Because you know NOTHING about hearts or love.”

Young Xehanort recoiled; “Love…love is a word used by others to measure how well you follow their orders!” he seethed through gritted teeth. “Your child, your OWNER, ‘loves’ you because you are completely obedient to her will!”

“And you think that matters?” Woody snapped. “She’s a child. She needs someone, something for exactly that. To let her use her imagination. To let her escape from the world when it’s hard on her. It was the same way with Andy, and I’d be happy to do it for a hundred more kids, and they’d all be special to me. I don’t know what happened to you to make you so bitter, but clearly, you never learned how to move on. You’re still stuck in a past that shouldn’t matter anymore!”

“Does the past stop mattering?” Young Xehanort was truly incensed now. “Have you forgotten the hurt when Andy chose Buzz over you? And you – “ He pointed to Bo. “Have you forgotten the sadness of being stripped away from your friends in exchange for a few dollars? And do you think he – “ Now he pointed to Buzz. “Has forgotten about the past he had to learn was all a lie?”

“Not all a lie.” Sora stepped beside Woody now, the Darkness around their feet clearing. “There are hearts all around us, trying to connect. Distance doesn’t matter. And if you find out the past wasn’t what you thought it was – “

The thought of a blonde girl in white, turning to look at him over her shoulder.

“That doesn’t mean it has no meaning,” Sora went on. “And you know something else? Here’s what I know about loneliness. The longer you stay in it, the more you realize how important all your friends were to you…”

Memories. Kairi pressing his hand to what appeared to be the hand of Ansem, only to learn it was Riku all along. Making a silly face; Riku laughing. Watching Riku disappear behind a pearl-white door.

“And the stronger your bond with them becomes,” Sora declared. “By pulling Woody and Buzz apart, you only made their bond stronger by making them want to reunite. And when they do, their Light will shine brighter than anything you know. That’s the heart’s true nature: to never really let go of someone you loved!” The floor beneath him and Woody burned brightly through, giving a hint of brightly-colored carpeting.

“ENOUGH!” Young Xehanort cried. “You don’t know ANYTHING!”

“What I know,” Sora told him, “is that you’re so caught up in finding the shadows, you forget about the Light that casts them.” He called his Keyblade to hand. “And if you won’t let our friends go…we’ll take them.”

Suddenly, Young Xehanort seemed to completely relax. His smirk returned to settle upon his face. “You truly want your friends returned to you so badly?” he taunted. “Then I will let you have them.”

He raised a hand. Snapped a finger.

The dark columns dissipated, letting Buzz and Riku drop to the ground.

“Enjoy,” Young Xehanort said before simply fading out of sight.

“BUZZ!” Woody yelled, rushing to the fallen ranger – not noticing the Darkness closing up over the floor patch he’d left.

“RIKU!” Sora cried, hurrying toward the other boy.

Woody and Bo knelt over Buzz; nervously, Woody said, “Buzz! BUZZ! Can you hear me?”

Sora knelt, taking Riku’s upper body into his arms, lightly shaking him as Donald and Goofy crowded behind him. “Riku!” Sora begged. “Open your eyes!”

Buzz was the first to awaken. The moment his eyes opened, he flipped onto his feet, wordlessly turning his laser on Woody.

“No,” Woody gasped, standing and stepping back gingerly. “Not again…”

But even worse, Riku’s eyes had opened. Not to light teal blue, but a sick citrine yellow.

In a burst of Darkness, Sora was thrown aside. Riku began to levitate before him, Donald, and Goofy, arms out to either side, one knee bent to raise that foot above the other.

As it turned out, it hadn’t been Riku after all.

And as Sora watched in terror, the boy spoke. From his mouth came two voices: the higher tone that naturally belonged to that body, and a much deeper growl. In unison, they said the words Sora had never wanted to hear come from that mouth again:

“It is I, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness!”

* * *

_Commence the boss battle against Ansem-Riku. The battlefield will not be the play mat, but instead the dark void. Ansem-Riku’s moves are near identical to those he had in KH1, though not nearly as punishing, since this is an early-world boss. You will have Donald, Goofy, Woody, and Bo to help, including their team attacks. But Ansem-Riku will also have help. The possessed Buzz Lightyear will be assisting by giving him covering laser fire. You do not have to knock Buzz unconscious to win the fight; in fact, if you knock him out, he will only stay that way for a while before getting back up. However, he does make the battle much more difficult when working in tandem with Ansem-Riku, so it would be wise to keep him unconscious as much as you can. The battle ends when Ansem-Riku’s health is whittled to its last._

* * *

The Darkness finally dispelled, revealing a large play mat. Silly, to think this whole time, it had played host to their struggle.

As Buzz Lightyear hit the ground, the Marionette inside of him was knocked free, rising to the air and disappearing. Dazed, Buzz looked around at the void; “Where am I?”

“BUZZ!” Woody and Bo rushed to him.

Riku’s body staggered back. “Get out,” the dual voices growled. One arm clutched at another. “Get…out…”

“Riku?” Sora said hopefully, voice cracking.

Suddenly, it was Riku’s voice and only Riku’s that screamed, “GET OOOOOOOOUT!”

He leaned back, throwing out his arms, throwing back his head. Through Riku’s sheer force of will, Ansem was thrown forward out of him, fading into reality in his own familiar white-haired body.

“Your Darkness is NOT my Darkness!” Riku insisted, bracing Way to the Dawn. “You don’t belong in my heart!”

Ansem staggered. It was clear he was too weak to continue…for now. “Enjoy your victory while it lasts,” he seethed. “You have earned only a temporary respite.”

And then he, too, vanished.

“RIKU!” Sora tackled the other boy joyously as Goofy and Donald looked on all aglow. “You DID it! I KNEW you were strong enough to throw him out!”

Riku’s arms closed around Sora. “It’s good to know I am that strong now,” he said softly. “But it’s even better to know that I have a friend I can rely on to not give up on me. I think in the end, my heart gained hope when my eyes saw you come all the way here, knowing what you’d find.”

“I made a promise,” Sora said, “and I had to keep it.” He flinched; “OH! Speaking of promises!”

He rose, letting go of Riku, and turned to Buzz. “I’m supposed to tell you your team says hi,” he stated.

“My team is right here.” Buzz gestured to Woody and Bo.

Sora shook his head. “Not that one.”

Buzz’s eyes widened in understanding. “But how – “

“It’s a long story,” Sora told him. “But I think we might have time to tell it.”

* * *

From the uppermost floor’s balcony, the team looked down upon the gathering in the entryway. “Looks like all the hearts Ansem stole got set free when we defeated him,” Riku remarked.

An orchestra of Musical Toads played a special tune for a rapt audience of the LGMs. Rex eagerly told tales of his bravery to the Monstrous Monster he had dueled, who seemed to be responding with his thanks. Hamm shied away from Amber, who was chatting with a Julia the Dress Queen doll; seeing him afraid, Amber waved him over so she could make amends.

“But he got away again,” Sora recalled. “So did the other Xehanort.”

“They’re just a pair of big chickens,” Donald grumbled.

“…Aren’t you a duck?” Goofy brought up.

“So what happens now?” Bo asked. “Now that you’re the big hero.” She playfully nudged Woody.

“What happens is we can finally go back to Bonnie,” Woody stated. “All of us.”

“She won’t think it’s strange I showed up all of a sudden?” Bo asked.

“I mean, Andy got over Jessie and Bullseye,” Woody reminded her. “We could bring home as many friends as we wanted. Right, Sora? Riku? Donald and Goofy?”

“Uhhhh…” Sora realized he had to break an awful truth.

“We can’t go back with you,” Riku told him.

“But what about Bonnie?” Woody asked. “She loved you! She was so excited to play with you! If you leave – “

“Woody,” Buzz interrupted. “I’m…starting to think there’s more to this story than we know.”

“What,” Woody scoffed, “are you about to say this whole time, they were really just from another planet coming here to help us rescue Bo, and they never belonged to Bonnie in the first place?”

“I’m not saying it’s out of the question,” Buzz told him. “Call it a gut feeling.”

“It’s more important to Bonnie that we find those men who attacked us,” Riku emphasized, “and stop them from doing something that could hurt her.”

“Now that Ansem’s gone,” Sora added, “you should have less Heartless problems.”

“So you’re leaving,” Woody said. “Just like that.”

“It’s what I’ve been saying,” Sora reminded him. “We made a connection, and now it can’t be broken, no matter what. Our hearts will never really let go of each other, even when we’re far apart. And one day, we might be able to see you again. No…I know we’ll see you again!”

“Oh, I like him,” Bo said with a sly smile. “Thank you again. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you.”

“It was nice to be able to work some things out,” Riku recalled. “And…to even feel a little bit like a kid again.”

“But now,” Donald proclaimed, “we’ve got epic anime monsters to fight!”

“That’s right!” Goofy affirmed.

“Then good luck on your mission!” Buzz pointed up into the air. “TO INFINITY…AND BEYOND!”

* * *

END TITLE CARD: TOY BOX

* * *

_You now obtain the Favorite Deputy Keyblade, with the Hyper Hammer formchange sequence._

* * *

Unnoticed by any of the others who had participated in this grand adventure, and not having noticed them either, yet another inter-world traveler picked his way between the aisles of the action figures.

“Uuggghhhh…” the diminutive, plastic Demyx grunted. “Music boxes, toy boxes, every kind of box except the one I’m looking for! That’s it. I’m done. Next world, please! …Then again, I might as well pop in and see if those Musical Toad guys could use a backup sitarist for a jam session before I leave…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: in the very early stages of this outline, I was tempted to replace this world with a revisit to Halloween Town, but the idea of getting an excuse to write XR was literally the deciding factor that made me decide to keep and revamp Toy Box.
> 
> It might be a little while until the next update, but when we do get there...it's Kairi time.


	5. Kingdom of Corona

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to give credit where it's due here: I only fully realized how nicely Kairi's story paralleled Rapunzel's thanks to the fic "To All the Worlds I've Written Before" by AppleSoda. Check it out if you wanna see SoKai written properly!

_Since we have now seen Toy Box, we will now proceed to Kingdom of Corona. This could have been picked first if you wished, of course. Selecting Kingdom of Corona from the Gummi ship map will trigger a cutscene._

* * *

“Hmm…” Sora pored over his menu at the outdoor table at Le Grand Bistrot. “What do I want to order today…”

“Sora!”

The familiar voice prompted him to look up from the menu. Kairi approached, waving pleasantly.

“Hey, Kairi!” Sora greeted. “What’s up?”

“Oh, the usual.” Kairi pulled out the chair opposite from Sora, sitting down. “Training. Could be doing a lot better, but whatever. What about you?”

“Just getting lunch before I head out,” Sora told her. “It’s going that bad, huh?”

“I mean…yes and no,” Kairi admitted. “Merlin says I’m doing great, but…I just don’t feel like I’ll get anywhere near you. You’re going out to these whole other worlds, and what happens every time I try that?”

“Bad things don’t happen to you EVERY time you leave,” Sora attempted to argue.

Kairi began to count them off on her fingers; “I get my heart ripped out, Maleficent takes my heartless body captive to use in a dark ritual, Axel kidnaps me, Saïx kidnaps me…”

“…Okay, that is a bit of a bad track record.” Sora scratched the back of his head.

“It’s just scary,” Kairi admitted. “There are so many things out there that could go wrong. I want to leave, someday, and see it all…but I’m afraid next time, there wouldn’t be anything of me left to rescue.”

“Hmm.” Sora thought it over, tilting his head. Then, suddenly, he broke out into a big, toothy grin; “You should come with me on my trip!”

“What?” Kairi flinched.

“Yeah!” Sora balled up his fists in excitement. “When I first started out, there was so much I wanted to show you. Magic and amazing places and monsters – and I even flew! I kept forgetting to tell you!” He threw out his arms to both sides. “Now I don’t HAVE to tell you! I can just show you! And if you tag along with me, Donald, and Goofy, then you’ll be safe!”

“Safe…” Kairi thought it over.

“Though, if you ask me,” Sora went on, retracting his arms, “you can take care of yourself pretty good. All that other stuff was just bad luck.”

“You think?” Kairi asked.

“I know it,” Sora said with a nod. “So? You in? We could do lunch first! Actually, we have to do lunch first. I’m starving!”

Kairi smiled, herself, nodding. “Okay! Let’s do this!”

She picked up a menu of her own, she and Sora both sorting through its contents to find the most delicious delicacies.

* * *

_The Gummi route to Kingdom of Corona begins! You start out at the beginning of a route that is shaped like a massive forest tunnel, emerald-green plants lining the borders._

_Kairi:_ This is already so amazing!

 _Sora:_ Wait until you get to the actual world!

_This route is largely plant-themed, with obstacles in the form of blooming flowers to fly around and thorny vines that force you to take smaller paths. The golden flower itself makes a couple of cameos as a decoration. There is no Gummi boss._

* * *

“Why can’t I go outside?”

“The outside world is a dangerous place. You must stay here, where you’re safe. Do you understand, flower?”

* * *

A year ago, the lost princess who did not know she was a princess stood at the edge of the window, the only way in or out of her elevated tower (or so she thought), her lengthy golden hair splayed out across the floor of the chamber.

Her downcast expression turned more content when she looked out that window to see the hundreds of paper lanterns lighting up the sky like a new constellation, a river of stars. A road leading somewhere she simply had to be.

“Those lights appear every year on my birthday,” she had said of it. “Only on my birthday. And I can’t help but feel like they’re…they’re meant for me. I need to see them. And not just from my window…in person. I have to know what they are.”

She folded her arms, leaning onto the windowsill, relaxing as she let the lights infuse her eyes.

One day, Rapunzel would follow them to wherever they wished to take her.

* * *

TITLE CARD: KINGDOM OF CORONA

* * *

In the present day, the sun shone upon a forest of brilliant green, full-leaved trees forming a canopy over the soft grass. Marluxia liked it. He felt in his element, quite literally. His traveling companion, however, was not so fond of the sights.

“Ugh!” Larxene complained as the two hiked through the forest. “If I’d’ve known you would be bringing me to such a disgustingly garish place, I would’ve stayed back at that dump we call a base of operations now!”

“No one is forcing you to stay,” Marluxia reminded her.

“Well, the old man is probably going to get on my case if I don’t at least pretend I looked for the box,” Larxene groaned. “Why here, though?”

“Hm…the box.” Marluxia smirked. “Come to think of it, isn’t it enough that we have Demyx running around from world to world, looking for the box? I don’t see why we should have to waste the energy when he’s already doing so well.”

“Doing well?” Larxene replied, her voice laden with doubt. “Please! That guy couldn’t find a – wait.” It dawned on her; her eyes widened. “You never were here for the box, were you?”

“I’m almost disappointed, Larxene,” Marluxia replied. “I thought you knew me better than that.”

“So this is another coup!” Larxene gasped joyously.

“Not quite,” Marluxia told her. “Think of it as more of a safety net. I have little faith that Xehanort’s plan will actually grant us what we desire. That is why I decided to take an…alternate path.”

“Do tell!”

Though the forest seemed isolated, Marluxia, traitor by trade, knew better than to simply tell the important part of the plan right out loud where any passing ears could hear. He halted, and Larxene stopped in her own tracks. Then Marluxia leaned over to whisper the finer details into her ear.

Once she’d heard it all, she did a double take; “Oh, that is INTERESTING!”

“I am glad you agree,” Marluxia said at normal volume.

“But is this really a two-Nobody job?” Larxene asked. “Surely you can handle one little girl by yourself.”

“I know,” Marluxia told her. “That’s why I actually want you to follow the other lead I mentioned. You have free reign to pursue her however you please. I’ll turn a blind eye if a city should burn to the ground in the process.”

“This is actually starting to get fun,” Larxene said with a smirk. “Okay, I’ll play your side for a while. But I’m not sticking around here when I could be working somewhere less disgusting.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

A Dark Corridor opened up; Larxene gave a coy wave and a “Ta-ta!” before vanishing into it.

Marluxia watched her leave, watched her Corridor dissipate. Then he continued his trek through the forest, heading for its depths.

A good amount of time passed since he exited the area. Then, with no indication of exactly who they had just missed crossing paths with, Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy came strolling along.

Goofy put up a hand to block the sun’s light as he observed the summer sky. “It sure is a pretty day,” he remarked.

Sora stretched up his hands, positioning them behind his head. “Yeah,” he agreed, “the weather is great. It’d be perfect for a picnic.”

“We should have one here!” Kairi asserted. “We could bring some food from the bistro, and a nice blanket!”

“Focus!” Donald snapped. “We got other things to do besides having a picnic!”

“Not right now,” Sora reminded him. “Nothing’s even happened yet.”

“But ya followed yer heart,” Goofy brought up. “That means we’re here for some reason.”

“Maybe the reason is a picnic?” Kairi suggested.

Donald let out a sigh of dismay. “I can see why you two are friends.”

The sound of a man screaming in abject terror caught the attention of all four. Behind them, a lithe brunette tumbled across the forest floor, landing in a sitting position where he rubbed at his aching lower back.

“Hey!” Kairi rushed to him. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” The man turned to look up at her. “Oh, me? I’m fine. No need to worry about – “

A small horde of Heartless came bounding over the side of a cliff that bordered the forest.

“On second thought,” the man corrected, leaping to his feet, “I am not as fine as previously believed!”

He took off toward Sora, Donald, and Goofy, bellowing, “MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!”

On instinct, Kairi followed, yelling a high-pitched “AAAAAAAAAA!”

“HEY!” Donald leapt out into her way. “We’re here to get you to be able to fight these things better, remember?”

The mysterious brunette scooted around a nearby boulder, catching his breath as he watched the others square up against the monsters that had chased him.

“C’mon, Kairi!” Sora encouraged. “Now or never! Show these things what you can really do! Like you did back in that World that Never Was!”

After thinking it over, Kairi gave a firm nod, then turned to brace her Keyblade against the incoming attack. “All right! I’m ready!”

The brunette leaned around from behind the boulder to call out, “Say, since you four seem to know what you’re doing, mind if I leave this one to you?”

“Yep, we’ll take care of ‘em,” Sora said with a smile. “Go on; skedaddle!”

“You have my thanks!” the brunette replied. He then gave a “whoof” of exhaustion, then muttered only loudly enough for himself to hear, “The horse was enough. Don’t need any monsters on my trail.”

The sound of Donald yelling “The WHAT was enough?” got his attention again.

“Oh, nothing, nothing!” the man said hastily, leaning back to get one more look. “By the way, name’s Flynn. Flynn Rider. Ohhh, watch out! They look mad!” He pointed at the Heartless mob behind Donald.

As the party’s attention was diverted, Flynn (or so he said he was called) began to tiptoe off. “Slowly…sloooooowwwwwly…” Then decided it was taking too long to do so. “OUTTA HERE!” He broke into a bolt, promptly disappearing from view.

* * *

_Take out the Heartless mob! With Kairi, you gain the One Heart team attack seen in Re:Mind._

* * *

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy regrouped once the area was clear. “Huh?” Sora wondered out loud. “Where’d Flynn go?”

“He skedaddled,” Donald answered.

“You did tell him to do that,” Kairi pointed out.

“I think I saw him go thataway!” Goofy pointed a finger to where Flynn had made his escape.

Sora looked up to see a short path ending in a rock wall. “Huh? But ‘thataway’ is…just a dead end.”

“Yeah.” Goofy pressed a finger to his temple. “That’s puzzling.”

“Maybe there’s more to it than we’re seeing,” Kairi mused.

Sora nodded; “I say we investigate.”

* * *

_Explore the forest to your heart’s content. The next cutscene triggers when you approach the “dead end.”_

* * *

It seemed a complete impasse at first: a rock wall with only a significant patch of ivy growing over its base.

“He couldn’t have come this way,” Donald remarked.

Sora shrugged, turning his back to the ivy patch. “Well, at least he got away safe, right?” He placed his hands behind his head again, leaning back against the rocks.

Only to find that the ivy concealed a small passageway carved into them, and without any support, he just tumbled over backward into the tunnel.

“SORA!” Kairi rushed toward where he’d disappeared behind the plant curtain.

“Guys!” Sora’s voice yelled back. “You gotta come this way! It’s a secret passage!”

Kairi looked back to Donald and Goofy, then fired them a radiant smile; “I should’ve known Sora would find the way. C’mon! Let’s go!”

On the other side, the quartet entered a large clearing, and the sight beyond caused Sora to stop and give a gasp; “Oh…”

Kairi’s face lit up; “Wow…”

A single tower, hidden completely by the rocks surrounding it but somewhat of a behemoth in height all the same, stretched upward from the ground. The only human-made structure to be visible in the entire clearing, or the entire forest they’d seen so far, for that matter.

“It’s pretty!” Goofy remarked.

“I wonder who lives there…” Kairi mused.

* * *

At the end of a long rope of golden hair, the man whose name was not “Flynn Rider” was bound to a charmingly-carved wooden chair by still more of that hair. Around this time was when he began to wonder if any of this was even real, or if he were having another nightmare.

His captor stood before him, cringing with fear, clinging to a cast-iron skillet for dear life as she forced herself to approach. As though she hadn’t whacked him senseless and bound him in the first place. Was this some kind of act?

She gritted her teeth, drawing the pan back. No, she was really just that apprehensive. Must’ve been her first time capturing a man.

Luckily, Flynn had a few secret weapons up his sleeve for dealing with situations like this. He began with a cocky raise of the eyebrow, a smug yet inviting smile. “How ya doin’?” he asked. “Name’s Flynn Rider. How’s your day goin’? Huh?”

The woman looked anxiously from side to side, unsure of the next move to make. Then she boldly held out her pan as if it were a blade up to Flynn’s face, demanding, “Who else knows my location, Flynn Rider?”

Flynn tried to defuse the situation; “All right. Hang on, Blondie – “

“Rapunzel.”

“Gesundheit. Here’s the deal. I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest, when I stumbled upon a…”

Wait.

“Oh,” Flynn gasped. “Oh, no, no! NO NO NO! Where’s my satchel?”

Rapunzel folded her arms, returning Flynn’s smug energy right back to him. “I’ve hidden it,” she declared. “Somewhere you’ll never find it.”

She then began to circle her prisoner; “So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it?”

“Wha – “

“Sell it?”  
“No! Listen! The only thing I want to do with your hair is to get out of it!” Flynn groaned. “Look. I was being chased. I saw a tower. I climbed it. Okay? End of story.”

Rapunzel regarded him with confusion and a soft “Hm?”. A small chameleon, her faithful friend Pascal, scrambled up onto her shoulder to give Flynn his most threatening look.

It had the desired effect.

Pascal then made a gesture with his tail, and Rapunzel, understanding completely, paced over to the window that served as the tower’s entry point. Once her back was to Flynn, he attempted to struggle his way out of the golden bonds that held him, but to no avail.

After a short conference with Pascal, Rapunzel turned back to her captive. “Okay, Flynn Rider. I’m prepared to offer you a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Look this way.”

As Rapunzel crossed the room to ascend the mantel and pull back a curtain, she tugged her hair to turn Flynn’s chair so he could face her. It didn’t exactly work; Flynn tumbled to the floor, chair and all. Close enough.

“Do you know what these are?” Rapunzel peeled back the curtain to reveal a mural she’d painted onto the wall: a dark sky, the woodland below, filled with the sparkling lights that arrived on her birthday.

“You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?” Flynn grumbled from the floor.

“Lanterns,” Rapunzel gasped. “I knew they weren’t stars…” She turned her attention back to Flynn, gesturing at him with the frying pan; “Well, tomorrow evening, they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, take me to the lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal.”

“Yeah…no can do,” Flynn grumbled. “Unfortunately…” He attempted to push himself up into a more comfortable position. He managed to roll onto his side; whether or not that was more comfortable was up for debate. “The kingdom and I aren’t exactly ‘simpatico’ at the moment, so I won’t be taking you anywhere.”

Rapunzel looked to Pascal for guidance. Pascal slammed one fist into the opposite palm as a suggestion.

Rapunzel then leapt down from the mantel, landing gracefully on the tile. “Something brought you here, Flynn Rider,” she declared. With a tug, she finally brought his chair to an upright position. “Call it what you will: fate, destiny…”

“A horde of monsters,” Flynn grumbled.

“So I have made the decision to trust you,” Rapunzel declared.

“A horrible decision, really,” Flynn grunted.

“I am serious,” Rapunzel emphasized. She jerked the chair forward, only one of her hands stopping it from falling completely. Her eyes stared fiercely into Flynn’s.

Under the pressure, Flynn cleared his throat. “Let me get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home…then you’ll give me back my satchel?”

“I promise,” Rapunzel said sternly.

Flynn’s expression conveyed doubt.

“And when I promise something,” Rapunzel went on, “I never, ever break that promise.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“EVER.”

Flynn’s mind was racing. Oh, what to do? he thought. I cannot let her find that tiara. Okay, just think. I need the satchel and Blondie has it…there might be more monsters out there…

Then it clicked: I’ve got it! The four in the funny outfits! They looked tough enough to come in handy.

“All right, fine!” Flynn declared. “I’ll take you. But on one condition: my four sidekicks come along.”

Rapunzel’s face lit up with joy.

Flynn shot her his patented smolder, suddenly feeling everything was about to work out.

* * *

“I dunno,” Donald told Kairi, “but I have a bad feeling about this for some reason.”

“C’mon!” Sora urged, stepping out front of his friends and waving a beckoning hand. “Let’s check it out!”

* * *

_You are now free to explore the area around Rapunzel’s tower to your heart’s content! Instead of the cutscene triggering when you reach the tower, you have to actively examine it with a triangle command – that should save you any accidental cutoff of your exploration time._

* * *

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy came up to the base of the tower only to see a strange sight. Flynn was descending it, stone by stone, with the utmost care. It took them a while to notice he was using two arrows as handholds, inserted strategically into the mortar spaces.

It was no easy task. As Flynn stopped to catch his breath, he looked up to see a cloud of golden hair fly out of the window above. It dropped down beside him like a rope.

“WHOA!” Sora flinched back, and Kairi, Donald, and Goofy followed suit.

Rapunzel came sliding down the length of hair, in absolute bliss to feel the breeze on her skin. She pulled herself to a tentative halt before she could slam into the grass below. Then, ever so gently, she lay one foot, toes first, into the grass. The other followed, and she wiggled her toes, feeling the soft texture of the grass.

“It’s so soft!” Rapunzel declared as she dropped to her knees, smoothing out the greenery with her palms.

“Has she never seen grass before?” Donald whispered to Kairi, who just shrugged.

The wind stirred dandelion seeds to pepper the air around her. “I’m free!” she cried, standing up and breaking into a run. “I’m really free!”

By then, Flynn had finally finished his descent. Sora decided to address the friend he’d already made before acknowledging the new one in the making; “Flynn! It’s good to see you in one piece!”

“Guys!” Flynn greeted warmly. “You’re here, and just in time!”

“Who’s your new friend?” Sora inclined his head to the blonde wading through a nearby pool.

“Ah, that would be Rapunzel,” Flynn explained. “Something tells me this could be her first time outdoors.”

Rapunzel was in the process of picking up two handfuls of water, then throwing them into the air so they rained down upon her, whooping with joy all the way.

“Give her a few minutes to get used to it,” Flynn advised.

“First time EVER?” Sora cried.

“We should talk to her!” Kairi decided.

“Good idea!” Goofy agreed.

The four travelers ran down to splash into the pool beside Rapunzel. “Hi!” Sora introduced. “I’m Sora!”

“Hi!” Rapunzel said back. “My name’s Rapunzel. You’re Flynn’s friend, aren’t you?”

“Yeah!” Sora affirmed, nodding.

“Is this really your first time outside?” Kairi asked. “Ever?”

Rapunzel rocked from side to side, hands smoothing her hair. “Kind of? Yes.”

“How?” Kairi asked.

“It’s…a long story,” Rapunzel said nervously. “Well, maybe not that long, just…complicated. The simplest way to put it would be…I was being kept safe from everything scary out here in the world.”

“So why leave?” Donald asked. “I wanna live somewhere I’m safe and nobody ever bothers me!”

“The floating lights,” Rapunzel explained. “Well, I guess they’re lanterns. Every year, on my birthday, they fill the sky. I can’t help but think that they’re meant for me. I’ve always had this dream of following them to where they come from and finding out if that’s true. That…probably sounds silly.”

“No, it doesn’t!” Sora told her. “Having dreams is awesome! And y’know what? I’m gonna help you make that dream come true!”

“About that,” Flynn attempted, but he went unheard.

“Thank you!” Rapunzel cried.

“And besides!” Goofy told her. “The world might be a big, scary place, but there’s so much fun to have out here that it’s all worth it!”

“I actually know how you feel,” Kairi told Rapunzel. “I’m on my first big adventure, too.”

“Are you afraid?” Rapunzel asked her.

“Yes.” Kairi nodded. “But I know that has to change if I want to follow my dreams. I’ll help you, too.”

“Me three!” Goofy piped in.

“Why do you never ask me how I feel about these things?” Donald cried.

Rapunzel gave Donald a look of genuine hurt. Donald realized he couldn’t deny her what she wanted; not when she looked at him like that. “Aw, phooey. I’ll help, too.”

“We can have our first adventure together!” Rapunzel cried, looking at Kairi. “Um…what was your name again?”

“Kairi,” the redhead stated.

“Kairi,” Rapunzel repeated. “I like it!”

“I’m Donald Duck!” Donald introduced. “Not that anyone cares…”

“And I’m Goofy!” Goofy said with a smile and a wave.

“So?” Sora asked. “Which way to the floating lights?”

Kairi shook her head; “Sora! This is her first time seeing any of this! Let her decide what she wants to do first!”

“It’s all so new!” Rapunzel gasped. “For the first time, if I want to run, I can just – RUN!”

She broke into a gleeful romp across the clearing, stopping to excitedly turn and cry out, “I can’t believe I did this!” Which then turned into sudden doubt: “I can’t believe I did this.” Back to glee and leaps of joy; “I can’t believe I DID THIS!” But then doubt once more, slumping over; “Mother would be so furious if she knew I disobeyed her and left the tower…”

“But that’s okay!” Rapunzel said as she sat on a river rock, holding a flower in her hands. “I mean, what she doesn’t know won’t kill her, right?”

“Oh, no,” Donald groaned from behind. “This isn’t going anywhere good.”

“She’ll be fine,” Sora asserted.

Inside a deep cavern, Rapunzel hugged her knees; “Oh my gosh. This would kill her!”

Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Flynn exchanged concerned looks. It was Goofy and, surprisingly, Donald who approached first.

“Aw, it’ll be okay!” Goofy clapped Rapunzel on the shoulder. “I bet yer mom would want ya to be happy!”

“There, there!” Donald took her other shoulder.

“But my mother was the one who said I shouldn’t leave the tower in the first place,” Rapunzel explained.

Donald let go of her and stamped his foot; “Then I say PHOOEY to her opinion!”

“DONALD!” Goofy cried. “Ya can’t just say that about somebody’s mom!”

Donald’s words must have had some effect, because next thing anyone knew, Rapunzel was charging through the meadow surrounding her tower, yelling “THIS IS SO FUUUUUUN!” as she kicked a pile of leaves to scatter.

Sora came barreling right after, yelling “WOOOOOHOOOOO!” as he kicked his own pile of leaves.

“Great,” Donald sighed to an equally frustrated Flynn. “Now there’s two of them.”

Guilt caught up again and saw Rapunzel leaning with her head against a tree, perched on a high branch. “I am a horrible daughter.”

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy couldn’t help but let out a combined “Awww” as they looked up at her. Flynn tried to pretend he was uninterested.

“I’m going back,” Rapunzel declared.

“I AM NEVER GOING BACK!” Rapunzel cried as she cartwheeled down a hill, rolling into a dandelion patch and wrapping herself up in her own hair. Kairi copied the movement, laughing all the way as she rolled until such time as she collided with Rapunzel and knocked her further down the hill, which only served to make both laugh harder.

“I AM A DESPICABLE HUMAN BEING,” Rapunzel groaned as she lay facedown in the grass; Goofy gave the back of her head a gentle, tentative pat.

But within moments, she’d hooked her hair up to the top of a nearby tree to use as a swinging rope; while Flynn, Sora, Goofy, and Kairi pressed to the tree trunk to watch, Donald had unfortunately gotten in her way, and was now running in circles to avoid being collided into. It almost seemed Rapunzel was chasing him as she yelled “BEST! DAY! EVER!” over his quacks of dismay.

When Rapunzel finally ended up sobbing into her hands by the side of a boulder, Flynn ventured, “I notice you seem a little at war with yourself here.”

“A little more than a little,” Goofy clarified.

“More like a lot,” Donald sighed.

“You know,” Flynn suggested, “maybe we oughta just call the whole thing off. You can just give me my satchel, you can go back home where you’re safe, we pretend this never happened, everyone wins!”

“What?” Kairi cried. She stamped a foot; “No! We’re not giving up on your dream just yet!”

Sora approached Rapunzel to kneel beside her. “It’s okay,” he told her. “The world is a scary place. And it’s not always easy when we think there are people counting on us. But you’re not a horrible person for wanting a dream. I used to sneak out of my house to go play on an island all the time, and my mom always forgave me! But I also know what it’s like to be afraid. Afraid you won’t be forgiven, or afraid everything will go wrong with all the danger out there.”

“So what did you do about it?” Rapunzel asked softly, lifting her face from her hands.

“Well, I didn’t exactly have a choice,” Sora admitted. “I kinda got thrown into it. But what I figured out is that what I needed to do all along was just dive in! Even if I was scared! And boy, did it take me a long time to stop being nervous!”

“I don’t exactly have a long time,” Rapunzel sighed. “Maybe it’s not worth it.”

“But even the things you do before you lose your fear can be important,” Sora assured her. “Even when I was afraid, I still saw all sorts of wonderful things and made amazing memories with my friends. I say you should go for it!”

“We’ll be right there alongside ya!” Goofy asserted.

“All the way!” Donald agreed.

“Yeah.” Kairi smiled. “I’m not giving up until your dream comes true.”

“Thank you.” Rapunzel stood. “You know…Flynn, I wouldn’t have expected people this friendly to be your sidekicks.”

“His WHAT?” Sora gasped.

“Sidekicks?” Rapunzel repeated. “You know, the ones he said would go with us to the lanterns.”

“HEY!” Sora and Kairi barked as one, heads whipping toward Flynn.

He put up his hands, palms out; “Whaaaaat? Do we NOT share a bond determined by destiny after our little incident?”

“Well…” Sora mulled it over. “I guess we do.”

“The worst part is he’s serious,” Donald muttered. Then, at a louder volume: “But we’re not sidekicks! We’re heroes!”

“Or at least trying to be,” Kairi offered. “Or are you saying we’d just get in your WAY?” She leaned toward him accusatorily.

“Whoa, whoa!” Flynn went on. “I was just thinking we’d make a good partnership! I know the way to the kingdom, and you’re the experts with the monsters! Of course, I have the name-brand recognition necessary to lead such an expedition.”

“Well, I think you’re all heroes,” Rapunzel said with a smile as she stood. “You helped me find my courage. And we are going to see those lights together!”

She set off, and the others followed – though the four off-worlders hung back to have a small discussion.

“Was that actually true?” Kairi asked Sora. “You being afraid all that time?”

“You have no idea,” Sora told her. “I woke up and everything I ever knew, my home, my island, all my friends, it was gone. I’d never been so scared in my life. And the longer we went on, the more it felt like I’d never be able to see any of it again. Not to mention that it kept getting clearer that my journey wasn’t just about me anymore. So many people were depending on me to get it right. There were times it felt just about hopeless.”

“So what changed?” Kairi asked.

“Well,” Sora told her, “two really special people showed up at the right time.”

“That’s us!” Goofy declared.

“And the rest has been unforgettable,” Sora stated.

“Stop being sappy!” Donald snapped.

“I mean unforgettable…uh…” Sora hustled for a comeback. “Just like your face!”

“Is that really the BEST you can do?” Donald grunted.

“Um…you two seem to fight a lot, though,” Kairi pointed out.

“It’s how our friendship works!” Donald explained. “I keep things interesting!”

“He really does,” Sora affirmed. “I like the teasing. Kinda reminds me of you.”

“And I’m the meditator!” Goofy declared.

“Mediator!” Donald corrected.

“Goofy always knows how to make a person smile when they’re down,” Sora went on. “Those two kept me going even in the darkest times. But you wanna know what else helped?”

“What?” Kairi asked.

“Knowing you and Riku were out there, somewhere, cheering me on,” Sora stated. “Each of you helped call me out of the Darkness. I followed your Light to safety. That’s why I wanted you to come with me on this trip. Because with the right friends by your side, nothing’s that scary anymore.”

“Thank you,” Kairi told him. “All of you.”

“Come on, come on!” Rapunzel urged, beckoning with a hand from ahead. “You’re gonna fall behind and miss it!”

“And I need my monster fighter team!” Flynn added, a sense of urgency in his voice.

The quartet broke into a run to catch up. In the process, Sora remembered a phrase half-hidden in his subconscious, one that always made him think of Donald and Goofy, and he said it out loud to himself as he finally caught up:

“All for one, and one for all.”

* * *

_Proceed through the forest! The map really doesn’t change from canon. Also, Rapunzel’s observational dialogue remains intact, such as:_

_Rapunzel:_ Look! The flowers are growing on top of the water!

_Once you progress far enough to make it to a sunlight clearing with a fluffy white puff, the next cutscene will trigger._

* * *

Rapunzel gave a gasp of delight to see the puff in the midst of the field.

“Look!” She pointed to it. “What is that? It’s so fluffy!”

Kairi gasped as well, hands flying to her face. “That’s the biggest dandelion I’ve ever seen! Quick! Rapunzel! Make a wish!”

“A wish?” Rapunzel asked, curious.

“There’s an old legend that says if you wish on dandelion fluff,” Kairi explained, “your wish will get carried across time and space to come true!”

“How do you do it?” Rapunzel followed up.

“Okay!” Kairi beamed. “So first, you think of what you want to wish for, but don’t say it out loud!”

Rapunzel gave a nod; “Got it!”

“Then you go over to the dandelion, pick some fluff off, and blow it onto the wind!”

“Okay!” Rapunzel hurried toward the enormous puff.

“Do dandelions usually come that big around here?” Sora asked Flynn.

“No idea!” Flynn replied.

Rapunzel giggled as she leaned this way and that around the puff, looking for the right place to pluck some of its softness. The moment her fingertips touched it, however, several smaller dandelions burst from the mass, floating around in the air.

Rapunzel stared in awe, thinking at first that this was all part of the wishing game. When the Heartless topped with buttercup petals popped up out of the ground, however, she became visibly more frightened.

Then the dandelion puff itself tilted upward, revealing a pair of bright yellow eyes. It sprang, revealing itself not to be a dandelion but rather a large Heartless that bore a lot of similar fluff.

Rapunzel cringed, whimpering in fear.

“RAPUNZEL!” Kairi and Sora dashed at the same time, Keyblades out. They skidded in front of the blonde, bracing their weapons to protect her. Donald and Goofy flanked them momentarily.

“Take cover!” Sora advised, and Rapunzel scurried away.

“I don’t know about this,” Kairi muttered. Ever so subtly, her hands shook where they were clasped on the grip of Destiny’s Embrace.

Rapunzel hid behind Flynn, clasping his chest from behind without even thinking. It was almost nice, Flynn thought, before returning his thoughts to the primary goal; “All right. I hate to say it, but I’m letting you out of this deal.”

“What?” Rapunzel slowly let Flynn go.

He turned to clap her on the shoulder; “It’s way too scary out here! Let’s just turn around and take you home.”

But Rapunzel saw Kairi’s shifting stance, the slight shuffle of her heel in the grass. She knew the other girl was scared, yet there she was, standing ready to fight alongside her friends.

Flynn had turned Rapunzel around to lightly nudge her back down the forest path, but Rapunzel turned right back to lightly bat him aside. “No,” she insisted. “I am seeing those lanterns. And if they can face those things when they’re so scared, then so can I!”

With that, she turned away and bolted to the front lines.

“Oh, COME ON!” Flynn groaned.

As Rapunzel skidded in between Sora and Kairi, Sora gasped, “Rapunzel?”

“It’s okay,” Rapunzel told him.

“Aren’t you scared?” Donald asked.

“I am,” Rapunzel admitted. “But I’m still ready to face them.”

She withdrew the frying pan she’d smuggled out of the tower, aiming it directly at the Heartless horde.

* * *

_Before this battle, you get taken to a party selection screen. As on Toy Box, you are given five options and must choose four party members. Those options are Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Rapunzel, and Flynn. The catch this time is because she’s so integral to the story, Rapunzel is locked into your party. If you have both Rapunzel and Flynn in your party, you can execute the Tangled Twist team attack, but not if only one or the other! While Tangled Twist will still remain the same, for primary combat, Rapunzel will use the frying pan rather than her hair, wielding it like a bludgeon._

_Once you have selected your party, you get taken back to the clearing, where you must take out the Heartless mob._

* * *

In the dark of Rapunzel’s abandoned tower, Mother Gothel panicked.

Where was Rapunzel? Her only link to everlasting immortality? Without the young woman’s hair, she might very well shrivel up and die on the spot! And if not, she would at least suffer some very embarrassing wrinkles.

“Rapunzel?” she called up the stairs, rushing into her captive’s room. “Rapunzel!”

But it was to no avail. Rapunzel was gone.

Gothel tore down the curtain to the glass bay window in a rage. Then she turned away, clutching her head in dismay, practically collapsing until the tiny fragment of light shimmered its way into her vision.

Something was sparkling from beneath the stairs, the light from the bay window illuminating it. Something that Gothel could never recall having seen or placed there.

Prying up the lowest stair, she discovered a plain brown leather satchel. Not knowing what to expect, she pulled it into her lap, rummaging through it.

Inside was a tiara. A tiara of a very distinct make. It could only belong to one lineage.

Had Rapunzel found out the truth?

Gothel cast the tiara across the room as though it had bitten her. She took a moment to catch her breath, her gasps somewhere between fear and anger. She took another look in the satchel to find a crumpled-up Wanted poster depicting a figure labeled “Flynn Rider.” (It didn’t have his nose right, but they never do.)

That was when the voice sounded from behind her: “Missing someone?”

Gothel turned, startled. “Who’s there?” Hopefully not that Flynn Rider. Or, on second thought, hopefully it was, so she could make him hurt for what he’d done.

The man who’d appeared in the tower, the last remnants of a Corridor of Darkness radiating off him, was certainly not Flynn Rider.

“She’s such a precious gift,” Marluxia said as he strode deliberately toward Gothel. “Allow me to assist in getting her back.”

“What…no!” Gothel cried. “What do you want with her? Are you why she’s gone? You can’t have her!”

“I would offer you some sort of reassurance that I had no intention of competing for your daughter’s hair, if I could,” Marluxia stated. “Alas, I have no such reassurance on hand. However, what I do know is that I am the only person to offer you any assistance in this matter. Given what you have on the line, can you really afford to refuse my help?”

Gothel pondered this, heart racing. Then she collected herself, standing to full height in order to look Marluxia in the eye.

“Tell me what you know,” she demanded.

* * *

_The scene reopens with you having free reign to proceed into the forest. Heartless encounters will now spawn on your way. Once you get far enough and find a certain open field, control will pause as Rapunzel rushes out into the midst:_

_Rapunzel:_ Dandelions! Real ones! I think I’m ready to make my wish now…

_You then are able to explore the field with Rapunzel._

_Rapunzel:_ There are so many, enough to make a wish as big as that monster had, and I want this wish to come true sooooooo badly…isn’t there some way to make them all fly at once?

_Cast Aero in order to trigger the next cutscene._

* * *

As the dandelion seeds scattered to the wind, Rapunzel’s eyes widened; her jaw dropped in amazement.

“They’re just like the floating lights…” she said in awe.

“Rapunzel!” Kairi bounced on the balls of her feet. “Make your wish! Quick, before they get away!”

“Okay!” Rapunzel shut her eyes, concentrating hard. When she opened them, the wind had carried the seeds away.

“Now your wish has gotta come true, a-hyuck!” Goofy laughed. “With that many dandelions carryin’ the message, no way it’s gonna fail!”

* * *

_Continue to explore the forest._

* * *

“RABBITS!” Rapunzel cried as she surged toward a trio of fluffy gray animals.

“Ooh, you might wanna turn around!” Flynn warned. “Rabbits are some of the most vicious, savage animals in the whole – “

“Stop,” Kairi told him firmly.

“Aww!” Sora moved in beside Rapunzel to admire the rabbits. “They’re so cute!”

“HEARTLESS!” Donald cried, pointing to where a gaggle of Malachite Boleros had appeared in midair.

“Oh, no!” Rapunzel declared. “You’re not picking on these rabbits!”

* * *

_Take on the Heartless mob._

* * *

Once the coast was clear, the trio of bunnies hopped right up to Rapunzel.

“Don’t worry,” she told them soothingly. “It’s safe now.”

The rabbits hopped gleefully around her, then took off further into the wood.

“Oh!” Rapunzel observed. “Maybe they wanna show us something! Let’s follow them!”

* * *

_Move through the underbrush to the top of the hill._

* * *

As the rabbits bounced up and down before a bright-green treasure chest, Rapunzel declared, “I think they want us to have this!”

“Boy, oh, boy!” Donald cried. “Free treasure!”

“Thank you,” Rapunzel told the small creatures, who were already disappearing back into the brush.

* * *

_The chest still contains a bronze amulet. Continue on through the forest until you come to the small pool. Rapunzel will wade in._

_Rapunzel:_ It’s so refreshing! You have to come in!”

_Enter the water and see a brief cutscene of Rapunzel splashing Sora._

_Rapunzel:_ See? It feels nice!

_You gain the “Splash” reaction command. Chase Rapunzel through the water until you can catch her with Splash._

* * *

“Sora!” Rapunzel shook away the water that had been rained down upon her, then retaliated with a larger splash.

After recoiling from the sudden burst of cold water, Sora declared, “Okay! You’re in for it!”

The two began to splash each other furiously, laughing all the way. Kairi watched them from the bank, smiling softly.

She could almost see them as Sora, Riku, and herself, the way they’d used to run out into the shallows of the ocean on their special island and play in the tide.

“Uh, Red?”

A hand waving in front of Kairi’s face broke the illusion. “Earth to Red,” Flynn said. “You in there?”

“Oh! Yeah,” Kairi said with a nod. “I was just thinking about some good old memories, that’s all.”

Sora summoned his Keyblade, then used it to make the most enormous splash of all, droplets raining down in sparkles. Rapunzel gasped to see the prismatic effect left behind; “A rainbow!”

* * *

_Head on through the forest until you reach a particular flower-shaped object._

* * *

The sight of an overlarge petaled bud protruding from the clearing ahead immediately drew suspicion from the party, to the point where, after giving it a good visual once-over, Flynn outright declared, “Okay. That’s suspicious.”

“After the last flower?” Rapunzel added. “I’ll go ahead and agree.”

“It’s definitely not normal,” Sora declared. “I’ll go and check it out.”

“Sora, no!” Kairi yelled, reaching an arm out and missing him as he approached the bud. “Don’t just walk up to it! We don’t know what it is!”

“Good luck,” Donald told her. “I can’t even get him to listen to me.”

Sora looked it over, left and right, up and down. He even poked it a couple times. It looked to be nothing more than an ordinary flower bud. Turning back to his friends, he declared, “We’re all clear!”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Kairi hurried up next to him, withdrawing Destiny’s Embrace with which to prod the bud. “There’s something off here.”

“Seriously, it’s okay, Kairi,” Sora stated. “It’s just a flower, I guess.”

So Kairi also turned back to the others, giving a shrug. “Then it’s just a flower.”

That was the exact moment the bud began to ripple, its petals opening. As it inverted, it revealed a long tendril that solidified into a humanoid body, a razor-sharp scythe in its hands.

“SORA!” Donald cried.

“LOOK OUT!” Goofy yelled.

The Reaper drew back its scythe. Sora flinched away; Kairi spun. The blade was on a course right for her.

She screamed.

In a metallic clash, Sora’s Keyblade had intercepted the scythe’s curve; at the same time, Goofy simply tackled her to get her out of the way. By then, two more Reapers had sprouted from the ground.

“Oh, no!” Donald cried. “It’s the Nobodies!”

“The ruffians and thugs my mother warned me about,” Rapunzel gasped.

“Okay, so before, I was kind of playing up the danger aspect so you would go back home,” Flynn admitted, “but now, I am legitimately afraid.”

“Well, you know what we do with ruffians and thugs, right?” Sora asked, leaping back so his blade no longer contacted the scythe.

Goofy helped Kairi up, and she picked her Keyblade up once more. “We take care of them,” she said through gritted teeth, striking a battle stance.

“I’m SERIOUS, Rapunzel!” Flynn insisted, taking her by the shoulder. “Those four have it covered! Not that I don’t wanna stay and slug it out myself, but I don’t want you to get hurt!”

Rapunzel’s eyes widened.

“And by that…I mean…” Flynn sighed. “Look, just forget it and let’s get out of here!”

“No,” Rapunzel insisted. “I am facing this fear.” She smirked; “Of course, if you’re not feeling up to it…”

“Oh, is that a challenge?” Flynn smirked. “Well, challenge accepted!”

* * *

_Take on the Reapers! You do get Rapunzel and Flynn in your party (though the latter depends on if you had him slotted for combat)._

* * *

Once the strange new Nobodies were taken out of play, the six had to catch their breaths for a moment.

“You know who uses Nobodies…” Goofy brought up.

“The Organization!” Donald spat.

“That’d figure,” Sora muttered. “They’ve already been showing their stupid faces everywhere we go.”

“Who’s the Organization?” Rapunzel asked.

“Real bad guys,” Kairi told her. “The ones your mom warned you about. Trust me…you don’t wanna get mixed up with them.”

“Oh, please,” Flynn scoffed. “I’m a professional th – uhhhhh, ruffian-expert! What can you seriously throw at me that I can’t handle? It’s not like they can be worse than the Stabbingtons!”

“We should get outta here before they show up!” Goofy suggested.

“No,” Sora replied. “Because they’re already here. I know it. Why else plant that flower like that?”

Kairi gasped.

“I KNOW YOU’RE THERE!” Sora yelled into the forest. “COME OUT, YOU HAS-BEENS!”

Upon request, a Corridor of Darkness opened. Sora may not have recognized the face of the man who stood before him, but he sure knew that uniform.

“Has-beens?” Marluxia repeated. “Now, why would you say that?”

“Because we already wiped the floor with you once already!” Sora insisted. “You’re seriously just gonna try the same thing all over again? It won’t work!”

“How bold of you to assume that is, in fact, what I am attempting to do,” Marluxia replied. He placed his fingertips on his chest; “My name is Marluxia. How interesting it is to see you again, Sora.”

“Again?” Sora’s face screwed up in confusion. He turned to Donald and Goofy; “You know ‘im?”

They shook their heads, making noises of dissent.

“A shame you’ve no memory of me,” Marluxia went on, “because I remember you exceedingly well. …Although it’s those memories I’d soon erase.”

“That’s not very nice!” Kairi snapped.

“I don’t even know what you’re saying!” Sora complained.

“Nor should you,” Marluxia stated. “Nor will you ever, for that matter.”

“Okay, would it kill you to say something that isn’t just…RUDE?” Rapunzel spat.

“I DO NOT like this man!” Flynn declared. “I want that on record!”

“Is that so?” Marluxia replied. “Must you assume all we want is to sabotage you? I came to bear you an olive branch. I think we can resolve our problems peacefully.”

“If you wanted peace,” Kairi told him, “then you shouldn’t have set your little friends on us!”

“I merely wanted to remind you of what is at stake,” Marluxia stated. He then fixed his gaze on Rapunzel, looking her dead in the eye; “Can you honestly say you were prepared to face such foes? That you could defeat my Reapers by hitting them with a frying pan?”

“I, uh…” Rapunzel shifted backward. “No…”

“Why are you so far from home?” Marluxia asked. “All for an insignificant crop of paper lanterns that will be extinguished as soon as they are lit. You should never have left your tower, and you know it.”

“Stop messing with her!” Sora cried.

“Oh, Sora…” Marluxia shook his head, smirking. “And here I thought we could avoid repeating the mistake of our last encounter. You see, you won’t remember, but at the time, I sought to reach an agreement with you through deception and force. Of course, unlike some I associate with, I learn from my mistakes. It may well be the easier road for both of us to settle this peacefully. If you turn around and return the girl to her tower from this point, then we shall have no more disagreement.”

“I can’t!” Sora insisted. “I promised I’d help her get to her dream!”

“Is that truly what you came here for?” Marluxia asked him.

“Does it matter?” Sora retorted. “She needs friends! She needs to know why those lights come on every time she has a birthday!”

“I will warn you,” Marluxia told him. “Rapunzel is a liability. The longer you travel with her, the more you will realize that I am far from the worst who could happen upon you. There are many who would use her for nefarious purposes…and she is hardly an asset that will help you combat such foes.”

“Whoa, now!” Flynn broke in. “Look, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Blondie at first, but she has proven herself time and time again! She is DEFINITELY capable of whatever you can throw at her!”

“How charming,” Marluxia scoffed. “The rogue has fallen in love with the maiden.”

“NO I HAVEN’T!” Flynn yelled. “THAT IS NOT WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!”

“Perhaps not yet.” Marluxia grinned. “But your story is so predictable.”

“Just shut up!” Sora yelled. “Or do you wanna fight about it?”

“I came here specifically to avoid such conflict,” Marluxia reiterated. “Turn around now. Take Rapunzel back to her tower, then leave her where her dear mother will protect her. Then you may do as you please. Should you choose not to do so, you will find she is most certainly unsafe out here in the wide world. Do you really want her holding you back on your adventure in the first place? All of that hair getting in your way for you to trip over?”

“Rapunzel’s our friend!” Kairi insisted. “And she can handle herself!”

Marluxia chuckled. “You’re certainly one to talk. Your sort is all the same, you know. You’re just as useless as her. You always have been. And you know that, don’t you?”

“I…” Kairi shook her head. “That’s not true!”

“Even your Nobody was so easy to take into my clutches,” Marluxia told her. “And even she was more adept at escaping bonds than you, in the end. You aren’t even superior to your own shadow.”

“SHE’S HER OWN PERSON!” Kairi yelled.

“Does that make you any less weak?” Marluxia taunted. “Forget Rapunzel. It’s you who shouldn’t be risking your neck. Any number of captors could be waiting in the wood, you know. Do you want to be the reason your friends risk their necks yet again? Because you are good for nothing but causing grief? I hear taking you out of the game is as simple as taking you by the wrist.”

Kairi couldn’t retort anymore. She tried to remain resolute, but she was on the verge of tears.

So Sora stepped in; “THAT’S ENOUGH! YOU EITHER STOP TALKING ABOUT MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT, OR I’M GONNA MAKE YOU!”

“As I said.” A Corridor opened behind Marluxia. “I came to avoid conflict.” He began to step backward into it. “But since you declined my offer, that means the next time we meet, I won’t be so gracious.”

The Darkness swallowed him whole, and he was gone as soon as he’d arrived.

“I really don’t like that guy,” Sora seethed in Marluxia’s absence. He turned to face both Rapunzel and Kairi; “Don’t let him get to you. He doesn’t know anything!”

“Oh, I’m not letting him get to me,” Rapunzel said firmly. “He’s the exact kind of person my mother warned me about. If he wants me to go back home, that’s where I shouldn’t be!”

“It does seem like he’s laying a trap of some kind,” Flynn added.

“I don’t know,” Kairi said softly, eyes turned down to the grass. “Rapunzel…are you sure you’re okay with this? What if something bad happens, and Sora can’t – and we can’t protect you anymore? Maybe it is better if you get somewhere safer.”

“No.” Rapunzel shook her head. “Not after I’ve come so far. Not after everything I’ve seen that’s so wonderful! I have to finish what I’ve started. It’s like I made a promise to myself. And when I make a promise, I never go back on my word. Ever.”

“That’s the spirit!” Donald swung a fist.

“All right!” Goofy declared. “Let’s keep goin’! Gotta prove that fella wrong, after all! And we can handle anythin’ else he throws at us!”

“TO THE LANTERNS!” Donald yelled, holding an index finger high as he charged deeper into the forest.

Goofy, Rapunzel, and Flynn followed, but Sora and Kairi hung back.

“What he said,” Sora stated softly. “It got to you, didn’t it?”

“It’s true,” Kairi muttered. “I’ve only ever been in your way. You said so yourself, when I gave you my lucky charm.”

“Gah!” Sora cried. “No! I shouldn’t have said that! I’m sorry! I messed up! I just got scared for you, that’s all! I definitely believe you can handle yourself!”

“Do you have proof?” Kairi asked.

“Those Heartless you bashed back in Xemnas’ castle!” Sora reminded her.

“After I was captured twice,” Kairi stated. “I didn’t know what to do. I had to wait for Naminé to save me. When you and Riku left…I kept trying to think of ways I could leave the island, ways to catch up to you and help you. But I didn’t know how to make the first step. Or maybe…maybe I was just scared to.”

“Kairi…” Sora sighed. “I know your heart is strong. You’ve proven that over and over. If you still don’t believe in yourself…then I’m just gonna have to do it for you!”

“What if it’s not worth it?”

“I know it is, Kairi. Maybe that’s the reason we’re here. Do you think Rapunzel is wrong to want to leave the place where she’s safe?”

“No,” Kairi said. “She needs to. It’s the only way she can get rid of her fear and make her dream come true.”

“And what about you? You’ve got a dream, right?”

“I do,” Kairi said softly.

“If you could wish for anything on a dandelion, right now, what would you wish?”

Almost inaudible, she said, “To finally be able to help other people. To be a person they can count on, not one that needs to count on others. To fight for my friends.”

“Then let’s go get that dream!” Sora said with a wide grin.

Flynn’s call of “Hey, Red! You okay back there?” jolted Kairi from her funk. She gave Sora a soft smile; “Thank you, Sora.” Then she hurried to catch up with the others.

Yet Sora lingered even longer. “What did he mean when he said ‘your kind’ about Kairi and Rapunzel?” he muttered to himself. “Did he mean they were both girls? No, that can’t be right. He’s gotta know who Maleficent is, and she’s pretty tough. I know Kairi turned out to be a princess, and we never knew it, but Rapunzel can’t be one. She has a mom and a home. It wouldn’t make sense…right?”

“SORA!” Donald yelled back. “GET A MOVE ON!” 

“Guess it’ll have to wait!” Sora decided.

* * *

_When you regain control, your party will be beside you and you can proceed. Keep going until you hit the Marsh. At that point, a cutscene will trigger._

* * *

A butterfly on multicolored wings flapped its way past the group; Rapunzel’s eye was immediately caught. “IT’S BEAUTIFUL!” she cried as she immediately took off running through the marsh to catch up with it.

“Blondie!” Flynn yelled, hot on her heels. “I know we’re trying new things, but getting lost in the swamp is NOT a new thing you should be trying!”

“Hey, wait up!” Sora laughed, starting to run after them –

Only to realize Rapunzel and Flynn had gotten themselves lost in the shadows and thick trees ahead.

“Rapunzel?” Sora called out. “RAPUNZELLLLLL!”

“FLYNN?” Kairi yelled.

“HEY, FELLAS!” Goofy yelled. “WHERE ARE YA?”

“Oh, great!” Donald groaned. “You guys lost them!”

(Not noticing the cloaked woman slipping alongside the nearby trees.)

“Excuse you!” Kairi snapped back. “You lost them just as much as we did!”

(She pressed her back against a thick trunk to listen in on the travelers.)

“Eh, they’ll be fine,” Sora mused. “Like we said, Rapunzel can take care of herself. But how do we catch up with them so we can all get to the lights together…?”

“Just start walkin’, I guess,” Goofy suggested. “Only way to deal with a marsh is to go through it!”

“Nice metaphor!” Donald told him.

“What metaphor?” Goofy asked.

“So these are the ones he spoke of,” Gothel muttered from her vantage point behind the tree. “And here he said I should be worried.”

She threw back her hood, flipping her hair dramatically as she walked out in front of the quartet; “Excuse me, good travelers. Do you know Rapunzel?”

“Yeah!” Sora nodded emphatically. “She’s our friend!”

“Why do you ask?” Kairi added, obviously suspicious.

“My apologies.” Gothel gave the slightest of bows. “I am Rapunzel’s mother. My dearest, dearest daughter left home without a word, and I cannot help but be worried sick. Please tell me, where is my dear, sweet girl?”

“We’d tell ya,” Goofy said, “but we lost her.”

“By accident,” Donald added hastily.

“You’re Rapunzel’s mom?” Sora realized. “That’s great! We can look for her together!”

“Oh, would you please allow me to accompany you?” Gothel asked. “I cannot bear another moment away from my precious child.”

“Then we’ll help you,” Kairi agreed. “Then we can all go see the floating lights together!”

“Floating lights?” Gothel was taken aback. “Oh, no, you misunderstand! Rapunzel isn’t used to the outside world! She simply must be brought back home at once!”

“But we promised to help her make her dream come true,” Sora said plaintively.

“Dreams aren’t meant to come true, silly boy!” Gothel scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “The only thing that’s true is the love a mother feels for her child…and I feel Rapunzel must be protected from all of the horrible fates that could befall her out here.”

“Wait a minute,” Goofy realized. “This Marluxia fella was just askin’ us to do the same thing! How d’we know this ain’t related?”

“What?” Gothel acted taken aback. “Why, I would NEVER associate with anyone who wanted to do Rapunzel harm! I only want the best for her!”

“Then why don’t you want her dream to come true?” Kairi asked. “It seems to me that when you love someone, you’re supposed to help them get to their dreams.”

“Don’t test me, child,” Gothel hissed. “I am trying to protect Rapunzel from innumerable horrors you can’t even believe. Highwaymen, thieves and murderers, the plague, Heartless – “

“HEARTLESS?” all four cried as one.

“So you ARE with Marluxia!” Sora realized.

Gothel rolled her eyes. “I suppose if you were going to be argumentative, there’s no point in keeping up the charade. If you want me to be the bad guy, then fine. I’ll be the bad guy.”

An extreme change in demeanor seemed to wash over her suddenly; she glowered viciously at the travelers. “You will bring my daughter back home,” Gothel growled, “or I will see to it that you regret not listening to me when you had the chance.”

“No!” Kairi insisted. “I don’t know what you’re doing with her, but I can’t let you hurt my new friend!”

“Very well,” Gothel seethed. “But remember: you were warned.”

She spun on a heel, her cape fluttering dramatically. Before she could leave, however, Goofy yelled out, “WE’RE GONNA TELL RAPUNZEL ABOUT YER TRICKS!”

Gothel halted in place. She gave a “Ha!” that slowly built into a longer, louder laugh, now doubling over with hilarity. “And who do you think she’s going to believe?” she countered. “Her own mother, who raised her for eighteen years? Or four total strangers who are trying to turn her against the only family she’s ever known? But by all means, do go ahead and tell her! I’m sure the worst she can do is lose faith in you immediately and think you’re the ones in league with the bad guys.”

And then she darted into the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

“Why, that no good - !” Donald shook a fist after her.

“She’s right, though,” Sora moaned. “We gotta tell Rapunzel! But the problem is, if we do, she won’t believe us, and she probably won’t even stay around us to let us protect her. She’ll just think we’re lying.”

“We can’t hide the truth from her,” Kairi insisted. “After she sees the lanterns, she’s going to want to go back to that woman, where Marluxia will be waiting.”

“I say we just don’t tell her!” Donald suggested.

“It’d spoil the lanterns for her anyways,” Goofy said somberly. “To think either her mom or her new best friends are lyin’ to her to hurt her!”

“…Maybe that’s what we do for now,” Kairi mused. “We take her to the lanterns, and we don’t say anything just yet.”

“But after it’s all over,” Sora went on, “we find someplace for her to stay that really is safe. And if she doesn’t listen to us…”

“We’ll just hafta cross that bridge when we come to it,” Goofy resolved.

“Aww, this isn’t gonna end well…” Donald worried.

“And maybe it won’t,” Sora admitted. “But…even if the ending is sad, we’ll still have the journey to look back on and smile about, right?”

“It doesn’t seem fair that all of this should turn into a sad ending,” Kairi commented.

“Then we’ll make sure it doesn’t,” Sora told her. “We have time to figure it out! For now, let’s just find where Rapunzel and Flynn went.”

* * *

_You regain control, with Donald, Goofy, and Kairi in your party, and may now explore the marsh. Proceed through it until you come into a brighter part of the forest. Once you’ve gone far enough, a cutscene will trigger._

* * *

They heard Rapunzel before they saw her: “Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoooooa, whoa, whoa whoa! Easy, boy, easy! Settle down! Whoa! WHOA!”

“That voice!” Sora realized.

“It’s Rapunzel!” Goofy cried.

“And it sounds like she’s in trouble!” Donald gasped.

The quartet broke into a run to see what fiend had cornered Rapunzel this time, only to hurry into the next clearing and see her trying to calm down a very large and very angry white horse.

Behind her, Flynn pressed against a rock, trying to make himself perfectly flat, as though he could simply become one with the rock and fear this horse no more.

“A horse?” Goofy mused.

“Doesn’t look like a Heartless…” Donald muttered.

“Trouble is trouble,” Kairi reminded them. “We should help!”

They all skidded in behind Rapunzel, weapons drawn.

The white horse’s gaze fell first upon Pascal, who sat upon Rapunzel’s head, gesturing for him to simmer down. That was almost enough to convince him. But the clincher was when his gaze traveled back to see what Goofy looked like when angry.

The horse sat.

“You are such a good boy!” Rapunzel immediately began to rub the horse’s nose. “Yes, you are!” She nuzzled her face to his, and his tail began to wag as though he were a dog. Rapunzel backed off a bit to ask sympathetically, “Are you all tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?”

“EXCUSE ME?” Flynn yelled from behind.

“What is going on here?” Sora muttered.

“I want it VERY CLEAR that this was NOT my doing,” Flynn grumbled.

“Nobody appreciates you, do they?” Rapunzel cooed.

“Oh, come on!” Flynn urged. “He’s a bad horse!”

“Doesn’t look that bad to me,” Kairi said with a shrug.

“He’s not!” Rapunzel insisted. “He’s nothing but a big sweetheart.”

“Then why did you sound like you were in trouble?” Sora asked.

“Oh,” Rapunzel answered, “Flynn just had a little disagreement with…um…” She glanced at the nameplate embossed with the sun of Corona on the horse’s harness. “Maximus here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Flynn groaned.

“What did you do?” Donald accused.

“NOTHING!” Flynn argued. “This horse seems to think I stole something hypothetically very valuable and very shiny from him!”

“Now, where would he get that idea?” Goofy asked, dead serious.

“I know!” Flynn groaned. “And now he’s on my tail, trying to do me in before the monsters get a chance! Can you DO SOMETHING about him?”

“No one is fighting Maximus!” Rapunzel snapped.

Maximus shot Flynn a venomous glare.

“I think you two need to work it out,” Kairi suggested.

“No!” Flynn folded his arms and turned his head away.

Maximus was making a low growl, teeth gritted.

“Look,” Rapunzel sighed, “today is kind of the biggest day of my life, and the thing is, I need you not to get my friend arrested.”

“We’re friends now?” Flynn repeated in disbelief. Then, in a softer tone that betrayed how touched he clearly was, “We’re friends now. Huh.”

“Just for twenty-four hours,” Rapunzel cajoled, “and then you can chase each other to your heart’s content. Okay?”

Flynn pouted. Kairi elbowed him, and he reluctantly put out a hand. Then Maximus turned away, ignoring it deliberately.

“And it’s also my birthday,” Rapunzel threw in. “Just so you know.”

“Her BIRTHDAY!” Sora emphasized. “Do you wanna make her sad on your birthday? This is the exact day all her friends should be getting along!”

Maximus relented, putting up his hoof for Flynn to shake, which they did curtly.

“Thank you,” Rapunzel said, content.

But no sooner did Flynn let go than Maximus zeroed in on Sora, then Donald, Goofy, and Kairi, fixing them each with an accusatory glare.

“They’re okay, too!” Rapunzel insisted. “They’re my new friends. They’ve been helping me! They haven’t even stolen anything!”

“Nope!” Sora said with a smile.

“I mean, Donald tried a couple times,” Goofy mused, “but he got over that.”

“HEY!” Donald yelled. “Don’t rat me out!”

“But you’re a duck, not a rat!” Goofy remarked.

“I’m actually certified pure of heart, if that helps,” Kairi volunteered.

Maximus finally gave a nod of approval.

“The kingdom is actually not far,” Flynn pointed out. “And now that we’re stuck with the horse, I have all the more incentive to get this over with.”

“Let’s go!” Sora cried excitedly, racing ahead. As the others followed, only Flynn and Maximus lingered. Maximus took the opportunity to jam a hoof into Flynn’s solar plexus, then discreetly proceed as if nothing had happened.

* * *

_You now get the option of swapping Maximus into your party! Rapunzel is still locked in. Maximus’ fighting style is offense-based with good defense and no magic. With Maximus, you gain a team attack:_

_Royal Guard Rider: Sora hops aboard Maximus’ back. You then control Maximus as he races around the field, invincible; any enemy he touches takes damage. Once the timer runs out, the finisher activates. Sora tosses his Keyblade into the air, and as it comes down, Maximus bucks it with his hind legs to send it spinning around the battlefield’s perimeter, hitting any enemies it finds._

_If you try to take a picture of Maximus, he will straighten up and look his most official, stealing side-eye glances at the camera to make sure it goes off when he wants it to._

_From here, you have a bit of a hike through the forest, heading through the cliffsides, where you swing with Rapunzel on a rope of her hair to cross ravines, and into the mineshaft. Exit and make a run through the canyons until you come across the next boss, which has been slightly redesigned..._

* * *

The creaky old tower jolted on its wheels. The Air Soldier atop it wobbled, losing its grip on the steering wheel. The three layers of brick-textured Heartless jumped about.

Kairi was the first to draw her blade; “I got this!”

“YEAH!” Sora cried, giving her a thumbs-up.

* * *

_Fight the tower until it has separated and reformed into a caravan._

* * *

The front half of a thickset horse popped from the tower’s base, planting its hooves on the ground and snorting threateningly.

“It transformed!” Kairi flinched.

“What is it with me and horses?” Flynn groaned.

Maximus gave him a look of utter offense, which went ignored, so he rolled his eyes dramatically before taking a battle stance before the monster. The Air Soldier from before settled onto the horse’s back, giving a beckoning wave.

* * *

_Take out the remaning boss!_

* * *

“Whoa…whoa…WHOOOAAAAA!”

Flynn was on the run from the horse, Rapunzel alongside him. The latter had bunched her hair up into her arms to try and keep it from holding her back. All the same, a stray lock snagged on a nearby twig, forcing her to stop short.

As Rapunzel cried out, Flynn hurried back to quickly snap the twig away from the branch, pushing Rapunzel to safety. He braced his arms in front of his face for impact as the Heartless horse drew ever nearer –

And then a well-placed kick from Maximus finished it off, leaving nothing but a glowing pink heart clouded by small wisps of Darkness floating up to the sky.

“You…did that for me?” Flynn said in awe.

Maximus immediately looked flustered, adopting an expression of anger and turning away from Flynn.

Rapunzel came up coyly behind him; “Oh? And what about you doubling back to save me?”

“Do NOT read into that!” Flynn groaned.

“I think you three are becoming good friends already!” Sora said with a sly smile.

“Would it really be so bad if we were?” Rapunzel asked.

“Well, I mean, Flynn Rider does NOT have friends,” Flynn said boastfully. Then his façade cracked; “Not…exactly by his own doing, however. Maybe I want that to change. You know…you aren’t half bad, Blondie.”

“I like you too, Flynn,” Rapunzel stated.

“But YOU are on the fence!” Flynn pointed to Maximus.

“Oh, don’t worry, Maximus!” Rapunzel cooed. “I still like you, too!”

“Well…friends?” Flynn smiled. He gestured toward the road ahead; “Shall we?”

* * *

_Proceed to the Wildflower Clearing. Rapunzel will run ahead._

_Rapunzel:_ Oh, look! I see some birds! This way!

_The birds fly off._

_Rapunzel:_ Wait! Come back! I must’ve startled them…

_Slowly approach the birds to get them to fly to Sora. If you approach too quickly, they will fly to another tree. Use the Reach Out reaction command that appears when you’re in range to call them to you. The birds will circle overhead; gently walk to Rapunzel. When you reach her, a cutscene triggers._

* * *

Sparkly-eyed, Rapunzel leaned in to look at the bluebird on Sora’s finger; “I’ve never seen a bird like you.”

In response, the bird, deciding it liked its admirer, flew over to perch on her shoulder; two others followed suit to land on her head and in her outstretched hand.

“Gawrsh,” Goofy remarked, “she sure is cute when she’s seein’ somethin’ special and new!”

“I was NOT thinking that!” Flynn said defensively. “Who said I was thinking that? ‘Cause I’m not!”

This made Kairi raise an eyebrow at him.

“Listen!” Rapunzel gasped. “They’re singing for us!”

Then the flock took off to the nearby cliffside, and Rapunzel was satisfied.

* * *

_Proceed forward. Slide down the wildflower slope to get to the bottom._

_Rapunzel:_ WOOHOOOOOO!

 _Sora:_ YEAH!

_Depending on who is in your party, you also get these soundbytes:_

_Flynn:_ Whoa-whoa-whoa-WHOA!

 _Donald:_ Whee!

 _Goofy:_ Yahoo!

 _Maximus:_ (snort and whinny)

 _Kairi:_ (loud giggle)

_Keep sliding down the hill to arrive at the banks before Corona. Reach the edge of the waters to trigger the next cutscene._

* * *

“Oh…my gosh…” Rapunzel tread almost reverently to the edge of the shore, gaping at the kingdom of Corona rising before her.

Sora walked up to her side; “Is it everything you’ve dreamed?”

“It’s beautiful,” Rapunzel said softly. “I never even knew anything like this could exist.”

“Are you sure this is where the lanterns come from?” Donald asked Flynn.

“Positive!” Flynn insisted. He spread out his arms to gesture to the metropolis ahead; “Welcome to the Kingdom of Corona! Try not to look up at the towers too much; you’ll give away that you’re tourists.”

Maximus shook his head, sighing at that joke.

“Kingdom of Corona,” Rapunzel repeated.

“Let’s go check it out!” Kairi ran ahead, beckoning the others; “C’mon, c’mon! Let’s go! I wanna see the city!”

“Whoa!” Sora took off running after her, Rapunzel at his side. “Gimme a break, Kairi!”

Flynn, Donald, and Maximus went next, and Goofy, momentarily distracted by the shine of the sun on the water, soon realized he’d almost been left behind, running after the group with a “WAIT FOR ME!”

* * *

_You obtain the Forest Clasp automatically. None of the challenges are skippable in this version, after all. A brief message informs you of this before the next scene begins._

* * *

Rapunzel hopped with excitement on her way across the bridge to Corona.

“You sure look happy!” Sora told her. “And that makes me happy.”

“I feel WONDERFUL!” Rapunzel cried. “You’re all coming with me to see the floating lights tonight, right?”

Flynn let out an almost inaudible “Oh” that Kairi just managed to catch.

“Hey, Rapunzel,” Kairi piped up, “since Flynn IS our team leader, and he was the one who introduced us all and started this adventure, how about you and him find a special place to watch them?”

“Oh.” Rapunzel let out a high-pitched giggle, which she quickly stifled. “I mean…that’s probably not what Flynn wants, but…”

“Who said I didn’t?” Flynn replied, voice cracking. “After all, we have been through thick and thin together by this point!”

The two of them walked ahead, Maximus hovering like a shadow. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi held back.

“Why’d you say that?” Sora asked Kairi.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kairi replied. “Flynn likes her! And I think she likes him back!”

“Oh, you mean – “ Sora’s jaw dropped. “Oh!”

“Mushy-gushy stuff…” Donald muttered.

“It’s all right!” Goofy stated. “The four of us can find our own special place to watch the lights! As friends!”

“And get treats!” Sora added. “Hmm. I wonder if they sell sea-salt ice cream here…”

“Sora!” Donald stamped his webbed foot. “We lost Flynn and Rapunzel in the crowd! AGAIN! Can’t you keep an eye on them for two minutes?”

“I’m not in charge of keeping track of them!” Sora grumbled. “Isn’t this what we all wanted, anyway? They can go have some alone time while we have party time!”

“Let’s explore!” Kairi chirped. “I wanna see EVERYTHING!”

* * *

_Your party is pared down to Donald, Goofy, and Kairi. A large part of Corona is explorable for you now. You can go down to the Wharf and hop into the water; part of my reason for establishing Kairi having shorts beneath her skirt so early on is because this won’t be the last time you take her swimming. You can also explore the lighthouse and the market, as in canon. However, the plaza is a little further up the street, giving you a little more to explore in terms of town. You basically get a map that allows you to explore a bit more of the Corona environment, with some walls you can run up to find chests tucked away on buildings. On the main thoroughfare, you can pass the façades of what are definitely a library and, for Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure fans, Uncle Monty’s sweet shop (yes, there are ingredients hidden in his window display)._

_When you finally reach the plaza, the cutscene will trigger._

* * *

Rapunzel’s hair had been braided several times over until it was short enough to manage, thick as it was. The young girls who’d done the deed had also adorned it with countless flowers.

“Rapunzel!” Kairi gasped as she, Sora, Donald, and Goofy approached. “Your hair! I love it!”

“Thank you!” Rapunzel smiled. “This is so much easier to walk around with.”

“Great! We’re all here!” Flynn proclaimed. “I’m gonna go get us some snacks.”

Maximus gave a snort.

“Legally,” Flynn added.

Maximus raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t believe me?” Flynn sighed. “Fine! Watch over my shoulder if you have to!”

And the two of them were off.

“This place sure is beautiful!” Sora remarked. “Look at all the little suns everywhere!”

“And that pretty wall mural!” Goofy pointed.

Everyone turned to look at where the wall was tiled with the image of the king, the queen, and a small baby with long, golden hair.

“Why are all those people lined up in front of it?” Sora cocked his head.

“Let’s go see!” Rapunzel hurried over to the mural, the others in close pursuit.

As they neared, they heard a young girl speak up as she placed a flower by the stones; “It’s for the lost princess.”

“Lost princess - !” Kairi gasped.

Memories of long ago. Darkness, pure darkness, but hearing the words stammered out: “Kairi’s a princess?”

“Here, too,” Kairi muttered under her breath. “Does that mean…?”

“What’s wrong, Kairi?” Donald asked.

“Hm.” Kairi shifted her weight to one foot. “The seven Princesses of Heart are all there is, right?”

“Why wouldn’t th – “ Sora began.

But Donald cut him off, waving a hand in the air; “Ix-nay on the incesses-Pray of eart-Hay!”

“I don’t think Rapunzel’s listenin’, anyway,” Goofy chimed in. “Look!”

Rapunzel had become distracted by a band of street musicians, starting to dance joyously in the midst of the plaza. She spun and swayed in such a way that onlookers began to slowly trickle toward her.

“Come on, everyone!” Rapunzel beckoned. “Come dance with us!”

* * *

_This commences the dancing minigame, which is identical to canon. No big changes here._

* * *

Goofy had picked up Kairi to spin her round and round as though performing a Tornado attack, which she thought was great fun, as she whooped joyously.

Meanwhile, Sora was learning the hardships of having Donald as a dance partner; the duck was attempting to teach him a proper waltz. “You’re not doing it in time, Sora!” Donald chided. “ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three – “

“So not fair that Kairi got the fun dance partner,” Sora grumbled.

Rapunzel and Flynn finally met in the middle of the plaza, but the moment they clasped hands, a yell went up of “TO THE BOATS!”, and all present suddenly realized how low the sun was in the sky.

* * *

Out on a small boat in the middle of the waters around Corona, Flynn and Rapunzel had their eyes locked on the night sky, waiting for the lights to glow. However, Flynn could tell Rapunzel had more on her mind than just anticipation. He caught the subtle downturn of her smile, the glancing away of her eyes.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“I’ve been looking out a window for eighteen years,” Rapunzel explained, “dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?”

“It will be,” Flynn reassured.

Rapunzel looked to him morosely; “And what if it is? What do I do then?”

“Well, that’s the good part, I guess,” Flynn replied. “You get to go find a new dream.”

They returned to watching the deep blue night sky above. It was suddenly pierced by a single tiny light rising from the castle.

Upon sight of the lantern, Rapunzel practically knocked the boat over, clinging to its stern to get as close to the little light as possible.

It was followed by a cloud of similar lanterns, like a school of fireflies rising from the kingdom. Soon, the sky was positively filled with lanterns, with Rapunzel looking on in awe. Round lanterns, square lanterns, all equally bright. Even Pascal couldn’t keep the dreamy look from his eyes.

When Rapunzel turned back around, Flynn was holding two lanterns: one for each of them. Rapunzel scurried to sit across from him.

“Thank you, Flynn,” she stated with gratitude.

“…Eugene,” Flynn corrected.

“What?”

“My name. It’s actually Eugene. It’s a long story.”

“Well…thank you, Eugene.” Rapunzel began rummaging in a bag in the bottom of the boat. “I have something for you, too.”

Eugene was surprised to recognize his own satchel. “Wait. I thought you left that – “

“Remember when we split up in the swamp?” Rapunzel brought up. “I ran into…well, it isn’t important. I should’ve given it to you before, but I was just…scared. And the thing is, I’m not scared anymore. You know what I mean?”

Eugene reached out and placed his hand on the satchel, lowering it. “I’m starting to.”

They gave each other an earnest smile before letting their lanterns go into the night.

But as Eugene thought it over, he realized he couldn’t continue like this. He’d stolen the contents of that bag. He wanted to be better before he could deserve the attention he now realized he wanted from Rapunzel. She deserved better.

“I’m sorry,” Eugene said as the boat moored on the bank across from the kingdom, far from lanterns’ light. “Everything is fine. There’s…just something I have to take care of.”

After a look of concern, Rapunzel said “Okay” with a voice laden with trepidation.

“I’ll be right back.” And Eugene set out across the dark beach.

Pascal gave a little trill to indicate his suspicion.

“It’s all right, Pascal,” Rapunzel said to the chameleon on her shoulder. But the way she stared after Flynn suggested not everything was all right.

* * *

On the other side of the kingdom, Donald, Sora, Kairi, and Goofy sat on the dock together, in that order, to watch the lanterns rise.

“Wow!” Sora cried. “It’s beautiful!”

“It really is,” Kairi gasped. “Sora…is this the kind of thing you see on your adventures all the time?”

“Well, not exactly this,” Sora told her, “but all kinds of things that are just as amazing.”

“I never thought I would see anything like it for myself,” Kairi said softly. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me get here. To see this.”

“Hey, you did most of that on your own,” Sora pointed out.

“We knew ya could do it!” Goofy stated cheerily. “Y’know, come to think of it, not sure I ever really said how much I believed in ya from the start, Kairi.”

“Me either,” Donald chimed in. “You’re a lot like Sora, you know. And that’s not a compliment! Except it does mean you’re good at adventure!”

Kairi laughed. “Thank you. Maybe that’s what I needed all along. For people to believe in me.”

“Well, that ain’t all there is to it, ya know,” Goofy reminded her. “Do ya believe in yerself?”

“I…I don’t…” Kairi faltered. So she decided to change the subject; “Aren’t you guys glad Rapunzel got her dream to come true?”

“I am,” Sora stated. “It always feels good to help a friend.”

“But now we gotta tell her about her mom,” Donald sighed.

“Just a little longer?” Kairi protested. “The lanterns aren’t even over!”

“Wait a minute,” Donald remembered. “Why were you askin’ about classified princess stuff earlier?”

“This is gonna sound totally weird,” Kairi began, “but this kingdom having a lost princess makes me think of how I was separated from my home for all those years. And I started wondering. What if she’s someone like me? What if she’s out there, not sure where she came from or where she needs to go? And what if it’s related to the Princesses of Heart? Is that why she’s been gone?”

“Wait a minute,” Sora realized. “Marluxia said – “

But he was interrupted by the sound of a slew of Reapers materializing behind the quartet.

“Oh, you just HAD to bring him up!” Donald scolded as the four leapt up to ready for battle.

“Could you guys have possibly picked a worse time?” Sora groaned at the Reapers.

“I don’t think they appreciate the moment,” Goofy explained.

“Well, they’re interrupting my first lantern festival.” Kairi was the first to summon her weapon. “So these wet blankets need to go!”

The others brought out their weapons to follow suit.

* * *

_Your party is Donald, Goofy, and Kairi. Battle the Reapers on the wharf until none remains._

* * *

Anxiously, Rapunzel waited on the shore, clutching at the little boat. What had Eugene needed to take care of so badly? When would he return? Would he even –

Of course he would.

Or so she thought, until she saw the other boat headed back to the island kingdom, Eugene at the helm and the tiara sparkling in his hand.

“Eugene…?”

Of course, what Rapunzel couldn’t see from that angle was that he was unconscious, lashed to the mast and wheel of a boat set to ride the current, tiara placed in his hand to frame him.

“EUGENE!”

All she saw was betrayal. The moment she’d given him the crown, he’d run off with it.

But she barely had time to contemplate it before a voice that hardly had to put any investment into the charade broke in behind her. “Oh dear. He’s run off with the crown and forgotten you.”

Rapunzel rounded on Marluxia; “No. He wouldn’t. You’re just lying to me all over again!”

“Is that what your heart tells you, truly and deeply?” Marluxia posed. “Though it isn’t as though it matters, after all. Because even if he did come back to you, you’d be long-gone with me.”

“No!” Rapunzel panicked, reaching to grab her frying pan out from the boat and hold it out defensively.

Marluxia smirked. “How adorable.”

He then snapped his fingers, a Reaper appearing to either side of him.

“But is your little cooking pan truly enough – “

He drew back his arms, and the enormous pink scythe Graceful Dahlia appeared in them, ready for the swing.

“ – to protect you from the true threat of the world?”

With a scream, Rapunzel ran, the scythe barely missing cutting her braid right off as it arced behind her. She could hear the Reapers chasing her, gaining speed. She bolted across the shoreline, turning corners, leaping over a log –

Her braid caught on a branch of it, pulling her to a sharp, painful halt. With terrified whimpers, she attempted to pull it free, knowing all the time that she was still on the run, her enemies gaining on her and sure to close in any minute –

The sound of two whacks. The Reapers dissipating.

“Huh - ?”

A familiar call: “Rapunzel!”

No. It couldn’t be. “Mother?”

With no more pressure on her to run the other way, Rapunzel was able to calmly dislodge her hair and approach the sound of the voice. She gingerly crept back onto the shore, where she could see the last of the Reapers’ essence dissolving around the edge of a large bludgeon Gothel bore. Gothel panted, presumably from the strain of knocking the Reapers out singlehandedly.

When she noticed Rapunzel’s approach, she cried, “Oh, my precious girl!”

“Mother…” Rapunzel hurried to Gothel, and the pair embraced.

Gothel then held Rapunzel out to check over her face, her hair. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“M-mother, how did you – “ Rapunzel began.

“I was so worried about you, dear,” Gothel told her. “Even after you told me you could make it on your own, I knew all this time that you couldn’t, so I did what any good mother would do!” She drew Rapunzel into another embrace, stroking a hand over the precious hair still intact. “Oh, my. Let’s go, let’s go before they send reinforcements!”

“Wait!” Rapunzel cried. “Eugene – “

“Left you? It was as I feared – “

“No!” Rapunzel shook her head. “Eugene may be gone, but my other friends are still back in the kingdom! I have to find them! Please, come with me!”

“Oh, no, dear,” Gothel told her. “I’m afraid your friends were – “

“RAPUNZEEEEEEEL!”

Sora came charging down the shore, with Kairi, Donald, and Goofy in tow. “DON’T LISTEN TO HER, RAPUNZEL!” Sora cried. “SHE’S TRICKING YOU!”

“What?” Rapunzel gasped, turning to look to Sora.

“As I was telling you.” Gothel’s tone was now less syrupy, more stern. “They helped arrange your capture all along.”

“You can’t go with her!” Kairi insisted.

“Why not?” Rapunzel snapped. “She’s my mother! She loves me, and I love her! And I think I know her better than YOU do!”

“You don’t understand!” Donald snapped as they all pulled into a halt. “We ran into her at the swamp, and she – “

“Told you I couldn’t make it on my own?” Rapunzel countered. “I did, too, and she said the same thing to me. Because she was worried about me. She just saved my life from that Marluxia person! And now you’re telling me she DIDN’T do that for my own good? How can I trust you after Eugene sailed off with the crown?”

“Eugene did what?” Goofy replied. “That don’t sound like him…”

“Eugene betrayed me,” Rapunzel said softly yet sternly. “You were working with him. And now you’re trying to take me away from my mother. You…you were in league with Marluxia all along!”

“No!” Sora protested. “You gotta believe us, Rapunzel! This isn’t right! It’s all a big lie she’s been telling you!”

“I can’t trust you,” Rapunzel told them. “The only person I can trust any more is…”

She turned around, to where Gothel held up a green lantern to illuminate herself ominously. The older woman lay down the lantern, extending her arms.

Bursting into tears, Rapunzel rushed into those arms, and they closed around her.

“What do we do now?” Goofy asked.

“Take her down!” Donald swung his staff.

“No!” Kairi snapped. “It’s not that easy. If we hurt her…then Rapunzel will really think we’re the bad guys.”

“Do we just…let her go?” Sora asked.

“We have to,” Kairi said quietly. “We can think of another plan later. Right now…it’s too risky.”

So they watched Gothel escort Rapunzel away from them, toward her certain doom.

No sooner had the pair exited than Marluxia reappeared in a swirl of Darkness, smirking at his opponents. “You always were a sore loser, Sora.”

“I should’ve known you had something to do with this!” Sora snapped.

“I may have provided a threat for Gothel to extinguish,” Marluxia stated. “But what a wonderful family reunion they have shared. You should let them be.”

“Why?” Sora replied. “What do you get out of it?”

“Insurance,” Marluxia stated. “You see, Rapunzel’s hair holds the magical power of healing. Mother Gothel wants it for herself, as do others. Gothel wants nothing more than to keep Rapunzel hidden away from the world, where nothing can harm her and rob her of her precious immortality. And if her actions protect one of the New Seven Hearts from meeting a grisly end, then she is doing me a favor. After all, Xehanort and I never did quite see eye-to-eye. I seek potent plants for my own garden, should the opportunity arise to use them.”

“New Seven Hearts?” Kairi repeated. “So there were more.”

“Six who inherited the princesses’ Light after their role was fulfilled,” Marluxia explained. “One who never let hers go. And what luck. I came here seeking one of the inheritors…only for the one who held onto her Light after all this time to come running right to me.”

“Wait.” Kairi took a step back. “You mean – “

Marluxia grinned.

Then he was behind Kairi in a flash, pinning one of her arms up behind her in a lock.

“KAIRI!” Sora yelled.

“FIGHT BACK!” Goofy cried. “YOU CAN DO IT!”

“I – “ Kairi’s eyes were wide with terror. “I can’t – “

“Of course not,” Marluxia told her. “As I said, you, as all the Princesses of Heart ever have been and ever will be, are a weakling. Why even try?”

Sora’s Keyblade appeared in a flash. “I’M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE HER!”

“I never asked your permission.” Marluxia kept ahold of Kairi with just one hand, withdrawing the other to hold up to his lips. From his palm, he blew a sparkling pink pollen that dusted over Sora, Donald, and Goofy, causing all to stagger woozily.

“No…” Sora grunted as he collapsed to his knees. “Kairi…”

The last thing he heard before losing consciousness completely was Marluxia taunting him; “You always were such a sound sleeper.”

* * *

Rapunzel lay forlornly on her bed, a cloth bearing Corona’s sigil clutched close to her chest. Her unbraided hair spilled off the mattress and sprawled around the room, free of its braid and all of its flowers.

Like nothing ever happened, Gothel had said.

Pascal gave a discouraged squeak as he observed his friend’s despair.

With a sigh, Rapunzel pried her eyes open, looking at the frieze she’d painted on her ceiling, adding to piece-by-piece over the years. When it occurred to her that there was something new in it she’d never seen before – a most odd observation about a painting one has created oneself.

First, she raised up the cloth to get a good look at the sun of Corona’s flag. Then she lowered it, scanning the mural, sitting up to get a better look.

And gasped.

There it was. Or rather, there it wasn’t. The empty space of her painting forming the sun of Corona. In more than one place, too. No – all over. She’d been painting that exact design (or the outline of it) for years and years, as though pulling it from somewhere within her memory.

She stepped out into the center of the room, gaping at the revelation, as it all clicked. The sun. A childhood memory over her crib. The baby in the mosaic who looked just like her. The way she’d looked putting on the crown Eugene had stolen experimentally.

With a gasp, she staggered, nearly knocking over the vanity counter in her room.

Gothel heard the noise and knew immediately that something was amiss.

Rapunzel exited her room, staring down from the summit of the staircase. “I…am the lost princess,” she gasped.

Gothel rolled her eyes. “Please speak up, Rapunzel. You know how I hate the mumbling.”

So Rapunzel spoke up: “I am the lost princess. Aren’t I?”

Gothel’s eyes widened in horror.

“Did I mumble, mother?” Rapunzel stood tall. “Or should I even call you that?”

Gothel paused, then tried to wave it away; “Oh, Rapunzel. Do you even hear yourself?” She ascended the stairs almost playfully. “Why would you even ask such a ridiculous question?”

She put out her arms to take Rapunzel into them once more.

But Rapunzel pushed her away; “It was you! It was ALL YOU! You were the one who sent Marluxia after me, weren’t you? To get him to take me back to you!”

Gothel glowered at her; “Marluxia and I have a common goal: to protect you. Everything he did, everything I did, was to bring you back to where you belonged.”

Rapunzel shoved Gothel aside, storming down the stairway. “I’ve spent my entire LIFE hiding from people who would take me away from safety and use me for my power,” the princess growled.

“Rapunzel!” Gothel snapped.

“When I should’ve been trying to get out into the world and away from YOU!” Rapunzel cried. “You were wrong about the world, and you were wrong about me! And I will NEVER let you use my hair again!”

She was storming toward the window, but the mirror fell before her, shattering into sharp fragments, blocking her path. The one responsible stepped out behind it, acting as a further barrier.

“You think you can leave so easily?” Marluxia taunted. “I was afraid it would come to this…and yet relieved I no longer have to play the part.”

Before Rapunzel could say anything, she heard a loud, muffled scream – “MMMMM!” – from the corner.

She whipped around to see the source, only to gasp; “Kairi?”

The redhead was bound with green vines that covered her whole body, a particularly thick one acting the part of a gag over her mouth. Pink blossoms bloomed over the entire arrangement.

“She was just trying to help me,” Rapunzel realized. “It was our first adventure!”

“Well, now the two of you can spend your captivity together,” Marluxia said smugly. “Isn’t it wonderful to have made a friend?”

“You did want me to be the bad guy, Rapunzel.” Gothel came up behind her, a Dark smoke oozing off her body. “And now I’m the bad guy.”

* * *

Sora and Riku tread water together in the deep off Destiny Islands before setting off to swim for the beach. Sora pulled ahead in their race, looking to where Kairi stood on the beach, bouncing and waving to them to urge them on.

But as Sora got to the shallows and was able to stand, the scene changed entirely. The Islands were gone, replaced by the dark, oppressive walls of the chamber of Hollow Bastion where Maleficent had opened the Heart of the World. Kairi collapsed, laying prone and unconscious, as she had done when Maleficent had first taken her.

“KAIRI!” Sora ran faster to reach her, his shoes thumping on the ground. “KAIRIIIII!”

And then, for the briefest of moments, he wasn’t Sora, and Kairi wasn’t Kairi, and as he ran on, he cried out in a voice that didn’t belong to him, the name of the dark-haired girl lying on the floor: “XION!”

But then they were Sora and Kairi again, and Sora was forced to halt when the sudden form of Maleficent hovered over Kairi, smirking.

“Do not worry, Sora,” Maleficent told him. “After all, the lost princess – “

She made a gesture outward, and suddenly, it was no longer Maleficent standing over Kairi but Gothel over Rapunzel.

“ – is going exactly where she belongs,” Gothel finished.

“SORA!” Riku’s voice got his attention. Sora whirled to see Riku gaping at him, slowly shaking his head.

“You promised you’d take care of her,” Riku said in horror. He melted into the face, the voice of Eugene “Flynn Rider” Fitzherbert as he repeated: “YOU PROMISED YOU’D TAKE CARE OF HER!”

“No…” Sora clutched his head on both sides. “NOOOOOOO!”

* * *

Darkness. Utter blackness. The sound of a snort. Then Sora awoke to a moist pressure on his face, a slurping sound.

Maximus had licked his face right across.

“Oh…” He pried his eyes open. “Ohhhhhh…”

Maximus stood proudly over him, Eugene on his back. Both looked proud as could be. Sora then sat up to see Goofy and Donald sitting near him, wiping their faces; it seemed Maximus had employed a similar tactic to wake them up. The dawn had only recently broken.

“Eeewwwww,” Donald groaned.

“Well, that did the trick!” Eugene said triumphantly. “Nice work, Max!”

“Rapunzel…” Sora got to his feet. “Flynn!”

“Actually, it’s ‘Eugene’ now,” Eugene corrected.

“…Eugene?” Sora tilted his head.

“LONG. STORY,” Eugene repeated. “Now, what were you saying about Rapunzel?”

“She’s…the lost princess,” Sora realized. “Just like Kairi was. It all makes sense. That’s why Gothel – oh, no! Gothel has her! And Marluxia!”

“In the tower,” Eugene figured. “They would’ve brought her back. I thought as much when I woke up in jail.”

“Don’t tell me,” Donald sighed. “Long story.”

“Well, at least you’n’Max’re gettin’ along a lot better!” Goofy observed.

“Yeah, well, a jailbreak will make the worst of enemies into friends,” Eugene replied. “Wait. Where’s Red?”

“Gothel has her too,” Sora said solemnly, hanging his head.

“Ohhhh…” Donald and Goofy slumped as well at the memory.

“I think this calls for a rescue,” Eugene told Sora with a bright smile. “What do you think?”

“I think…” Sora looked up to Eugene, and his brow furrowed. “I know Kairi can handle herself. I know she can fight. But on the days when she can’t…we’ll still come for her. To save her. Like we always did before. Because that’s what friends do. And it’s what we’re gonna do now.”

“Are you with me?” Eugene extended his hand.

And for a moment, Sora was reminded of Riku, how he would always hold out his hand to beckon Sora to him in critical times.

Eugene hauled him up onto Maximus’ back, and Donald and Goofy jumped right on.

“TO SAVE THE PRINCESSES!” Donald cried, staff held high.

“HERE WE GO!” Goofy yelled.

Until Maximus’ hooves splayed under all their weight, prompting a simultaneous “Uh-oh” from the four.

“…Maybe some of us will have to walk for this one,” Eugene realized.

“You go on ahead with Maximus, Eugene!” Sora urged. “Donald and Goofy and I can catch up!”

“Are you sure about that?” Eugene asked.

“Sure I’m sure,” Sora told him. “I’ve got a few tricks I haven’t even shown you yet!”

So Sora, Donald, and Goofy leapt down, and Eugene beckoned Maximus forward with a “HEEYAH!”, taking off into the horizon.

“FREEZE!” Donald cast a long line of Blizzard magic, a little rail of ice that extended after where Eugene and Maximus had disappeared. Goofy then upset his shield as he had done on the flames in Olympus, and all three boarded.

“HERE WE GO!” Goofy yelled, and when Sora pushed off with his foot to slide the shield onto the line of ice, then it slid nearly as fast as the white horse could run.

* * *

_The chase back to Rapunzel’s tower has been altered! Instead of simply running back through the map and fighting off the hordes of Heartless and Nobodies, it is now a minigame mechanic where you are already sliding at high speed on Goofy’s shield! Reapers and the horse-and-carriage Heartless will continuously try and flank the shield to knock off Sora’s HP, and you cannot heal while riding the shield. What you can do is use X to issue a Keyblade attack and Triangle to activate a random magic command from Donald that will have a longer reach for faraway enemies – he can cycle through Water, Blizzard, Fire, and Thunder. The map will be larger than this segment’s canon due to the higher speed, and could take you back through some old environments, cutting through a mineshaft tunnel and around the cliffsides. And all to that sweet, sweet remix of Tension Rising, which is one of the best musical additions to the canon game._

_The minigame section ends when you slide into the secret passage in the rocks and enter Rapunzel’s tower’s clearing._

* * *

“Rapunzel!” Eugene cried as he clambered through the window. “I thought I’d never see you again – “

He was greeted with the sight of Rapunzel, chained and gagged on the floor, struggling and moaning to warn him away. Behind her, to her right, Kairi was still bound by the vines, her eyes radiating pure fear. Behind Rapunzel to her left was Marluxia, who gave Eugene a smile; “So wonderful of you to drop in for the final act. Of course, we can’t have you getting in our way. Dispose of him, Gothel.”

Gothel had come up behind when Eugene wasn’t aware, sinking the blade of a dagger into his side. He went down, face screwed up in pure pain.

“Now,” Marluxia bade Gothel, “let us take our prizes away where they can be better hidden.”

“Are you really giving me orders?” Gothel walked around to seize the end of Rapunzel’s chain. “I don’t remember you being in charge here.”

“My apologies,” Marluxia grunted in a not-at-all-apologetic tone.

As Rapunzel struggled, her gag came down, and she growled, “LET ME GO!”

“Rapunzel, stop FIGHTING ME!” Gothel urged.

“NO!” Rapunzel insisted. “I won’t! I will NEVER stop fighting you!”

“You can’t,” Marluxia told her. “Look at you. You’re in chains. What can you do to help yourself now?”

“Whatever I can,” Rapunzel growled. “Leaving this tower taught me that I’m stronger than I ever knew. That everything I knew about the world was wrong, and I could stand up in the face of it. Yes, it was dangerous! But I made it through! And I believe in myself enough to make it through again!”

She made eye contact with Kairi; “So did you. Remember? You came all that way…”

Kairi’s eyes widened, not in fear, but in understanding.

“We made it together,” Rapunzel told her. “Our first adventure. We aren’t weak. We’re strong. And even in the darkest times, we can always fight, so long as we believe we can. If we trust ourselves, we can take on the whole world!”

Kairi’s face set into determination. Out of sight of the others, her right hand lit up with a small Fire spell, one that flickered closer and closer to her bonds.

“But there is one thing that could get me to follow your lead,” Rapunzel realized. “If you let me go just long enough to heal him…to save him…then I’ll follow wherever you want to go. Because believing in myself doesn’t matter half as much as fighting for someone I truly, truly care about.”

The flames in Kairi’s hand grew brighter and taller.

“Rapunzel…no…” Eugene grunted.

“I’ll never try to escape,” Rapunzel promised. “Just let me heal him, and you and I will be together forever, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. And you know what I mean when I make a promise.”

Gothel thought it over.

Then Eugene was chained to the wall harshly; “In case you get any ideas about following us,” Gothel explained.

Rapunzel, unbound, hurried to him; “EUGENE!”

Eugene simply cried out, his wound cutting ever deeper.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Rapunzel told him. “Everything is gonna be okay, though.” She took a lock of hair in hand.

“No…” Eugene grunted. “Rapunzel…”

“I promise,” Rapunzel told him. “You have to trust me.”

“No,” Eugene told her. “I can’t let you do this.”

“And I can’t let you die,” Rapunzel practically whispered to him.

“But if you do this…” Eugene reminded her, “but if you do this, then you will – “

“Hey,” she told him. “It’s gonna be all right.”

“You were my new dream,” Eugene whispered.

“And you were mine,” Rapunzel told him.

She leaned in closer. And then he seized a broken shard from the mirror, slicing Rapunzel’s hair away, cutting it short so that it turned brown and useless.

At that exact moment, Kairi’s bonds went up in flames, freeing her as Destiny’s Embrace came to hand. Marluxia, gasping, was quick on the draw, summoning Graceful Dahlia to counter it.

As the two blades locked, Kairi scowled at Marluxia; “You’re never going to use ME ever again! And I’m going to make sure you leave my friends alone!”

“And what can you do about that?” Marluxia seethed, the two blades practically sparking off each other from the pressure.

“I believe in myself,” Kairi told him. “Even if I get taken down, I can stand back up. And that’s what it really means to fight!”

She threw off Graceful Dahlia, striking at Marluxia’s waist; he stepped back to avoid the blow. The scythe twirled, taking a slice at Kairi, but the young warrior leapt onto the flat of the blade, springboarding off it to dive at Marluxia from above. He knocked her aside with Graceful Dahlia’s handle; she twisted in the air to press the soles of her feet to the wall and fling herself back at Marluxia, Keyblade spinning like a propeller.

Gothel watched in awe and horror, listening to the sounds of clashing metal. Then, suddenly, she winced in pain, her entire body doubling over. Without artificial immortality to keep her alive, she was rapidly aging, her skin wrinkling, hair turning white.

She swept up a lock of the fallen brown hair in her hand, which was becoming thinner and bonier by the second. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” she screamed. She pulled a black cloak up around herself, using the hood to hide her shriveling face.

Then, seized by inspiration, she dove for the knife she’d left on the ground after stabbing Eugene, rushing to Rapunzel.

If the girl was to be of no more use together, Gothel would have the last laugh.

Rapunzel noticed a moment too late, but Kairi was quicker on the draw, abandoning her clash with Marluxia in order to stand before Rapunzel and Eugene, Keyblade braced in a blocking position. When Gothel hit it, Kairi flung the blade off to the side.

And Gothel was thrown off balance, toppling out the window.

Kairi didn’t give her a second thought, turning to glare at Marluxia once more. Marluxia glowered at Kairi before giving a “Hmph” and dismissing his weapon.

“Perhaps the New Seven Hearts are more trouble than they’re worth,” he decided. “All the same, this does pose a perfect opportunity. I was hoping the old woman would slip up. You’d best check in on your friend Sora. He will be arriving any time now.”

And then he was gone, leaving Kairi to ponder his words and Rapunzel to grieve over the unmoving Eugene.

* * *

Outside, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were finally catching up to the tower.

“Hurry!” Sora urged. “Rapunzel and Kairi need us!”

Then Gothel’s scream echoed throughout the clearing.

“WHAT WAS THAT?” Goofy cried in horror.

They all saw the black cloak begin to plummet from the tower.

And then there was Marluxia before them. “I’ve decided to cut my losses,” he told them. “You’re about to wish you’d cut yours.”

He cast a hand up toward what was left of Gothel. A pink aura bearing rose petals surrounded her as she continued to fall.

Then the cloak erupted into pure Darkness, growing into a large, nebulous shape. From it emerged a crooked limb, then another, then a twisting tail. A second set of limbs protruded as the newly-birthing Heartless lowered itself to the ground. As it slammed down before Sora, the Darkness cleared, revealing the treelike body, the jagged mouth, the golden eyes.

The Heartless that had once been Gothel leapt into the air to roar at Sora menacingly.

“I wonder how Larxene is doing with her charge,” Marluxia muttered as he stalked into a Corridor that removed him from play.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy braced their weapons. “This is it!” Sora urged. “We gotta beat this thing, or else Kairi – “

That was the exact moment that Kairi came flying out from the window of the tower, Keyblade braced for battle. She spun several times in the air before making a hard landing on the ground, crouching to absorb the impact. Once she’d done that, she rushed to Sora’s side, Destiny’s Embrace at the ready.

“WHOA!” Donald cried. “I didn’t know you could do that!”

“Oh, really?” Kairi winked at him. “And here I thought you believed in me!”

“Perfect timing!” Sora told her. “Now let’s save Rapunzel!”

* * *

_Battle Gothel’s Heartless! Your party is Donald, Goofy, and Kairi. Once she is taken down, the next cutscene begins._

* * *

Rapunzel fretted over the fallen Eugene. “Don’t go,” she pleaded. “Stay with me, Eugene!”

But he didn’t respond.

Sora clambered up into the window with a grunt. “Rapunz – “ The name died in his mouth once he saw the scene before him. “Oh, no…”

Donald, Goofy, and Kairi caught up, filling the rest of the window frame. “Nonononono!” Kairi moaned. “This can’t be happening!”

Rapunzel was oblivious to everything but Eugene, futilely pressing his hand to her head as though her hair were still intact. “Flower gleam and glow,” she sang. “Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse…bring back what once was mine…”

But nothing happened.

Her eyes welled with tears.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi huddled together, united by grief.

Rapunzel gently cradled Eugene close, caressing his cheek. “Heal what has been hurt,” she pleaded softly in song. “Change the Fates’ design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine.”

The final line was merely a whisper: “What once was mine.”

A single teardrop dripped down onto Eugene’s cheek. There it was absorbed by his skin immediately, and for a moment, a brilliant golden mark, like the sun of Corona, like the magic flower that had begun it all, shone there.

A brilliant glow of Light formed at Eugene’s stomach, drawing everyone’s attention. It reached out with tendrils that enveloped the entire room, illuminating it brightly. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi all gaped.

But Rapunzel had eyes only for Eugene, even then. She kept her eyes locked on him as he poured forth the glow, hoping against all hope.

Then it all faded. And as she looked on eagerly, he stirred, eyes slowly prying open.

“Rapunzel…” he muttered.

“Eugene,” Rapunzel whispered in a soft joy, too big to let out all at once.

“Did I ever tell you…” Eugene mustered up a smirk. “I’ve got a thing for brunettes?”

With a cry of “EUGENE!”, Rapunzel tackled him, falling over in his arms. He held her close, more tenderly than Gothel ever had.

And in the window, Sora cried, “EUGENE! HE’S BACK! HE’S OKAY!”

The four travelers huddled together once more, now laughing instead of crying.

* * *

They all reunited at the base of the tower.

“Wow, Rapunzel!” Sora gushed. “You’re finally gonna get to see your real home!”

“I know!” Rapunzel cried. “I mean – I can’t believe it!”

“Would you believe I can?” Kairi laughed. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to being a princess soon enough. Oh, and I love the hair! Isn’t it so much better short?” She flicked her own for emphasis.

“WAY better,” Rapunzel told her. “And now we match! But seriously, I can finally be get with my real family! …I’m gonna meet my real family. What do I say to them? How do I tell them? Where do I even START?”

“From the heart,” Sora suggested.

“This is all thanks to you,” Rapunzel told them.

“You’re welcome!” Donald said proudly.

“No,” Kairi told her. “It was thanks to you. You kept fighting, and you reminded me to do the same. I was just so afraid that I wasn’t good enough that I stopped trying. But you inspired me to get back up by getting back up yourself. And you made your own dream come true. We just helped a little!”

“Your dream will come true, too,” Rapunzel told her. “I just know it.”

“I do, too,” Kairi agreed.

“Well,” Eugene broke in, “from where I’m standing, the kingdom couldn’t ask for a better princess.” He gestured from Rapunzel to the four travelers; “And I couldn’t have asked for better sidekicks!”

“Still the sidekicks?” Kairi rolled her eyes.

“Y’know,” Goofy pondered, “you’d think we might get a promotion after all that.”

“Ah, we know we’re hero material.” Donald waved it off.

“Hey, I was just glad to help!” Sora chimed in.

“Now, Maximus!” Goofy turned to the horse. “You and Eugene play nice!”

Maximus grunted.

“I believe he means to say ‘I make no promises,’” Eugene related. “At least, that’s what I’m thinking about him right now.”

“Wait.” Kairi looked around, confused. “Who’s Eugene?”

“Oh!” Eugene realized. “Oh, you weren’t there for that. That’s my real name. Eugene Fitzherbert.”

“Huh!” Kairi beamed at him. “Well, nice to re-meet you, Eugene!”

“But don’t worry.” Eugene leaned over to whisper to Rapunzel; “I still have plenty more of Fitzherbert-y secrets for you.”

Kairi nudged Sora with her shoulder; “Told you they liked each other!”

Rapunzel and Eugene blushed at that declaration.

“So Marluxia got away, huh?” Goofy pondered.

“He said he was ‘cutting his losses,’” Sora mused.

“And we were more trouble than we were worth,” Kairi added. “But if he’s still going through with his plan, then there are five other people out there we have to worry about.”

“Huh?” Rapunzel tilted her head.

“Princesses of – “ Sora began.

“OTHER KINGDOMS!” Donald chimed in quickly.

“And they’re gonna need our help!” Goofy added.

“So we’ve gotta get going,” Sora told them. “I wish we could stay to see you meet your family, but…”

“No, go!” Rapunzel urged. “You have new dreams to chase! And Eugene and I can handle this on our own.”

A dissatisfied snort.

“With some help from Maximus, of course.”

“Don’t be strangers!” Eugene told the group.

* * *

END TITLE CARD: KINGDOM OF CORONA

* * *

_However, once the scene pans up to show you that title card, it pans right back down to the action below…_

* * *

Sora rested both hands behind his head as he led Donald, Goofy, and Kairi away from the clearing. “I’m just glad Rapunzel’s safe now,” he remarked. “And I mean REALLY safe.”

But up above, from a vantage point on the cliffs where she could see the Keybearers departing and Rapunzel and Eugene giggling to each other, Maleficent was watching. And she was quite pleased to see this turn of events.

* * *

Deep in the marsh, a lone, shadowy figure picked his way through the fog and the slop. He might have seemed mysterious and intimidating if he didn’t have a penchant of accidentally running his booted foot into the logs that peppered the ground with a “YEOWCH!”

Cradling his newly stubbed toe, Demyx remarked, “I am so done with this box business…”

* * *

_You gain the Ever After Keyblade with the Mirage Staff from this venture. However, you also gain something else! For completing the first “ring” of worlds – Toy Box and Kingdom of Corona – you will receive your first Summon. The Baymax Charm allows you to summon Baymax in battle._

_The summoning animation consists of Baymax inflating from his charging station. Sora backs up, falls over, and says “Ow!”. Baymax then asks, “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?” His red armor flies onto him from all sides as he poses the question._

_Summons are not going to require an extra game mechanic to the degree they do in canon III, which seemed too complicated to me. Baymax works much like he does as a party member in canon III, and similarly to the Peter Pan summon in KHII: Sora flies around on his back to attack enemies. The extra gimmick is a triangle reaction command for extra heals, which you can spam as long as Baymax is in play until his timer runs out. Baymax is actually not that great for extra attack power, but if your party is failing on health, he’s a good option for a quick rescue!_

_(Unfortunately, love Big Hero 6 though I do, this does mean that we’re not doing San Fransokyo. I have other plans.)_

_After all this is over, it transitions immediately into the next cutscene…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...but that will be for next chapter.


	6. Interlude: Realm of Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers! Are you liking this rewrite? Do you wish you could read more hypothetical KH games like this that aren't bogged down by questionable lore decisions? Well, have I got some news for you! My good buddy GAvillain is now working on a project called "Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Before the Dawn" that might scratch that itch! No, it's not in the same continuity as this. Its premise is a midquel that takes place postcanon of KHIII and deals with Riku's feelings in the aftermath of Sora's self-sacrifice. Featuring such fun things as Maleficent getting main villain bidding, Disney deep cuts, Riku being the gay rep we need in KH, and more relevance for Disney Town! Check out the first chapter here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047065/chapters/57864478

_Once the first ring of worlds is complete, you are taken immediately to the next cutscene in Twilight Town without having to take the ship there._

* * *

Sora, Riku, and Kairi laughed together as they entered Tram Common, Sora walking in the center so he could hear the other two volley back and forth.

“Oh, yeah?” Kairi posed. “Well, I bet you didn’t get to see hundreds of floating lanterns go up at night!”

“No, I just got to explore the biggest toy store I’ve ever seen,” Riku retorted. “And also fought Ansem out of my heart.”

“Well…I fought Marluxia!” Kairi argued. “He isn’t anything to sneeze at! He ran Castle Oblivion, right?”

“That’s what Mickey told me,” Riku answered.

“I really wish I could remember that part,” Sora sighed.

His GummiPhone began to jingle happily. Sora brought it out from his pocket, answering it so all three could see. “Hello?”  
“Sora!” Ienzo smiled from the screen. “And I see you’re with Riku and Kairi. That’s good! We’ve had a breakthrough here at Radiant Garden.”

“Did you find out more about the digital Twilight Town?” Sora gasped.

“That and more,” Ienzo stated. “Why don’t the three of you come to the castle so we can discuss it? We may have an answer as to how to rescue Roxas.”

Sora looked to Riku and Kairi in succession, both smiled and nodded at him. “We’ll be right there!” Sora insisted.

* * *

_Radiant Garden is now added to your world map. Select it to begin the Gummi route._

_Riku:_ Radiant Garden. It’s been a while.

 _Goofy:_ Feels like we ain’t been there in forever!

 _Donald:_ It’s been a month!

 _Kairi:_ I guess I’m visiting home. Weird to think about.

 _Sora:_ We’re on our way!

_The route will take you between the Rising Falls from KH1; your obstacles are moving chunks of ice._

* * *

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi entered the town square of Radiant Garden together, observing a few townspeople milling about between the shops and Moogles flitting among them.

“So?” Sora turned to Kairi, a grand smile upon his face. “What’s it like? Coming home?”

“I…I don’t know.” Kairi’s eyes were glued to the scenery, wide and sparkling. “I remember parts of it, but other parts are so strange. It feels like I’m where I should be, but also…not?”

“Maybe the castle will jog more of your memory,” Riku suggested. “We should go and see what Ienzo found out.”

But as he spoke, someone wearing a pair of tall black boots was creeping upon the team, stealthily sliding closer, sole by sole.

It was Donald who sensed it first; “Uh, guys? You feel like we’re bein’ watched?”

Goofy turned and saw the sneak; “LOOK OUT!”

Sora barely had time to react before he was tackled around the waist by a laughing teenage girl and brought to the ground.

“Really, Sora?” Yuffie chortled, getting to her feet and offering Sora a hand. “I thought you would’ve expected that by now!”

“Heh…” Sora beamed as he took Yuffie’s hand and let her bring him to an upright position. “Some things never change, Yuffie. Well, except your new clothes. Looks nice!”

Yuffie had opted for a deep-violet tank top and a pair of orange shorts with a yellow belt and side pocket above thigh-high stockings that trailed into her boots; a lace-up sleeve adorned one arm while a white wristband decorated the other. “Hey, everyone else is getting makeovers these days,” Yuffie said with a shrug.

“Speaking of the others,” Sora asked, “we were headed up to the castle. Should we drop by Merlin’s house and say hi?”

“No need,” Yuffie stated. “Everyone’s probably up at the castle already. Gotta help make sure the town gets back to normal. Besides, Leon still has major trust issues with a lot of the guys up there. Can’t say I blame him.”

“Me either,” Riku agreed. “Thanks, Yuffie.”

“We’ll have to hang out later!” the ninja insisted, putting her hands behind her back and leaning forward playfully. “Get some ice cream or something! Or maybe see if any of you can take me in a fight by yourselves!”

“You’re on,” Riku said with a grin.

“Ice cream first,” Kairi told Yuffie, “and we’ll see where we go from there.”

“Catch ya later!” Yuffie waved as she ran out into town.

“Real good to see her again!” Goofy chuckled.

“But we gotta get down to business!” Donald folded his arms. “They’re waiting for us up at the castle! And if we make Even impatient, we’re never gonna hear the end of it!”

“Oh,” Sora realized. “Right.”

* * *

_You can now explore the Radiant Garden town square with Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi in your party. It’s not as extensive or detailed as it was in KHII, and you can only use the Moogle Shop and no other shops. There are two pathways. One leads away from the castle; if you attempt to go down it, you won’t be able to progress, as though you’ve hit an invisible wall._

_Kairi:_ Sora! Even’s probably gonna yell at us for being late as it is!

_The other path leads to the castle, of course. But before you head out, you can, if you desire, locate Yuffie in the town square leaning against a wall._

_Yuffie:_ Things don’t get boring around here because I don’t let them!

_If you bring out the GummiPhone to take a picture, Yuffie will hold up a peace sign;_

_Yuffie:_ Remember me!

_By the way, you may have noticed that Yuffie’s outfit is what she wears in Dirge of Cerberus._

_There are also some chests scattered about here to pick up and some ingredient hotspots. When you’re ready, proceed up the path to the castle entryway._

* * *

It didn’t take long to find another familiar face – or, rather, the back of a familiar head. Aerith’s two braids swayed as she stood on tiptoe to speak to the two guards that flanked the main entryway. She, too, had a new look: a pastel-pink dress without much ruffle or lace, but adorned with silver ornamentation on the neckline, skirt hem, and puffed sleeves.

“Leon will vouch for me,” she said sweetly.

“Hey, Aerith!” Sora skidded to a stop beside her, with Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy falling in behind him. “These guys giving you trouble?”

“Sora!” Aerith brought her hands together and clasped them with joy. “It’s good to see you! And I guess they haven’t figured out that I live here and work on the Committee.”

“We have no proof you aren’t up to no good,” one of the guards said.

“Wait a minute…” Sora glared up at the guard, clothed in the navy-blue Radiant Garden uniform with a red heart on the collarbone. His dark ponytail and long sideburns gave away his identity almost immediately. “You’re the guy that used to be Xaldin!”

“And what of it?” Dilan sneered.

“It’s real funny coming from you to suspect Aerith of being no good!” Sora placed his hands on his hips. “Last time I saw you, you were trying to get my friend to fall to Darkness!”

“If you insist on bringing up old grudges,” Dilan growled, “I may have to comply. Though it would be more befitting of my station if I did not.”

“Oh, what?” Sora grinned. “Afraid I’ll kick your butt like last time?”

“SORA, NO!” Donald yelled.

“WHY, YOU – “ Dilan took a step forward, but was restrained by the heavy hand of his taller, chestnut-haired counterpart.

“No,” Aeleus said simply. “Not here. Not now. Not ever.”

Dilan clenched his teeth and his eyelids, scowling. He then growled, “Ienzo and Even await you. Enter the castle before I lose all concern for decorum.”

“Pay him no mind,” Aeleus stated firmly.

“Sora,” Aerith asked, “if you see Leon, can you ask him to come outside and speak up for me?”

“No problem,” Sora told Aerith. “See you inside, hopefully.”

Aeleus heaved the door open for the quintet of visitors; as they walked inside, Donald looked up at Dilan and gave him a very angry glare. Dilan returned one that was downright venomous.

* * *

_Aerith’s outfit is based on the Dissidia costume designed from Yoshitaka Amano’s concept art._

_You are now inside the castle atrium from KH1. From here are the doors to the lift stop and the library. The library is skippable, but you’ll want to check it out for the cutscene within and the door it opens…_

* * *

Leon reached for a book on the upper shelf, pulling it down to leaf through it. “Hm,” he muttered. “I wonder what that means…”

He was interrupted by a cry of “Hey, Leon!”

The brunette swordsman looked up toward Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. He, too, had an upgraded ensemble: a black uniform with gold embroidery on the epaulets. “Now, this is a pleasant surprise,” he remarked with a subtle smile.

“Whatcha got there?” Sora pointed to the book.

“I’m trying to do some research to learn more about a strange crystal that was recently unearthed in the fissure,” Leon stated. “I don’t know yet if it’s benign or a threat.”

“Interesting,” Sora muttered.

“We should check it out later,” Riku suggested. “If it does pose a danger to the town, we’ll need to stop it.”

“Always playing hero.” Leon shut the book. “What brings you here?”

“Ienzo asked us to stop by,” Kairi explained.

“He’s helpin’ us find a way to get Roxas back!” Goofy stated. “A-hyuck!”

“I see,” Leon mused. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Sora!” Donald nudged the brunette.

“Oh!” Sora cried. “Leon, can you go out to the front gate and tell the guards that Aerith is okay to get into the castle? They stopped her because they think she’s suspicious, I guess.”

“I’ll go set things straight.” Leon shelved the book. “You can take the lift station directly to the lab. I’ll come down when I get the chance.”

And with that, he exited the library.

* * *

_Leon’s new outfit is based on his Balamb Garden uniform, which can also be seen as a costume in Dissidia._

_You can explore the library here, but there isn’t much to see. What this cutscene does is open up the other path in the town square, but we won’t focus on that now. Exit the library and use the other door to enter the lift station. While it looks pretty fancy, there is only one crystal and only one lift active; it will take you directly down to the lab with a reaction command._

* * *

“I don’t like this,” a familiar drawl rang out. “First off, I don’t trust you with these kids. An’ even if I did, I wouldn’t trust yer weird science to bring ‘em through okay.”

The complaint came from one Cid Highwind. He, too, sported a new ensemble…so to speak. He’d simply thrown a baggy blue denim jacket on over his usual white shirt and brown trousers.

“Why, I NEVER – “ Even sputtered. “How DARE you insinuate – “

Ienzo stepped in between them; “We’ve run several tests. There’s no reason to think Sora and Kairi won’t come back in one piece. But I also understand Cid’s concerns, Even. You have to understand – “

“I UNDERSTAND when I am being INSULTED!” Even gestured dramatically. 

That was when Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy entered. “Gawrsh,” Goofy remarked, “ya think we came at a bad time?”

“I feel like any time would be a bad time with this crowd,” Riku sighed. “Let’s go.”

As the quintet entered, Ienzo brightened; “Ah, hello! We were just talking about you.”

“Yeah.” Cid turned around, giving the five a glare. “Talkin’ ‘bout how we can’t risk losin’ ya to these mad experiments.”

“THEY ARE NOT MAD!” Even yelled.

“But you are,” Goofy pointed out.

“Goofy,” Kairi whispered. “Not the time.”

“So what’s going on?” Sora asked.

“Well, as you see – “ Ienzo began, his exposed eye drifting over the group. As his gaze alit on one member in particular, he gasped; “Ah - !”

“What’s wrong?” Donald asked.

“You…” Ienzo flinched, realizing.

“Oh,” Riku realized. “My replica hurt him. The resemblance must be – “

“Not you!” Ienzo corrected, eye widening, looking completely stunned. “…Her.”

“Huh?” Kairi tilted her head, then flinched, herself. “Oh!”

“What’s going on?” Sora asked. “Am I missing something here?”

“It’s just that somehow, I never put it together.” Ienzo shook his head. “That you were the girl I once knew…”

“Oh, that’s right!” Sora cried. “You guys were both from here at around the same time! So that means…”

“I remember now.” Kairi smiled brightly at Ienzo. “You were…”

In her memory, the young, silent boy she’d offered her flowers to. Who’d later repaid her by giving her a stick of his favorite ice cream. The one with whom she had read many books in the library, both of them sitting on the stairs, Kairi excitedly pointing out her favorite pictures and passages while the Ienzo nodded and smiled.

“…my first friend,” Kairi concluded.

“And you, mine,” Ienzo said softly, a faint smile playing at his lips.

“So?” Kairi bounced on her toes; “What’ve you been up to while I was gone?”

“Oh, just…” Ienzo turned away shyly. “Organizing a conspiracy within a dark scheme to corrupt worlds, unfortunately. But no longer. And you? What has happened since those years?”  
“Lost princess,” Kairi ticked off on her fingers, “got captured twice, lost some of my memories, got them back, aaaaand got a Keyblade. I think that’s it.”

“Then this is more of a welcome-home than a welcome for ya,” Cid realized.

“I guess,” Kairi replied. “I hardly remember this place. It’s like every new room I look at, I get the feeling I’ve been here before, but nothing clear. I was just that young.”

“It’s kinda funny,” Riku said with a smile. “My memories of living in this place are clearer, even though this wasn’t really my rightful home.”

“Don’t say that,” Sora admonished. “Sure, you were running with a bad crowd, but you belong here as much as you want to!”

“Hm…” Riku shut his eyes, smiling. “Sometimes I think about those days. I did so much I regret. But some things stand out as…not the worst, I guess. I should know better than to think that any of them were my real friends, but all the same…”

His own memories. Hades firing him two flaming thumbs-up. The way Jafar let loose whenever he laughed. Ursula holding up a golden contract to attempt to get Riku to sign. Maleficent reaching out to him with an almost maternal smile.

“…they’re people my heart touched,” Riku concluded. “I guess that never really goes away.”

“That makes sense,” Sora mused. “Even if they are kinda the worst. But dealing with them’s almost old hat at this point. Kinda weird when they’re NOT ruining things, actually.”

“So it’s a welcome-home for you too, in a way,” Cid figured.

“Yeah,” Riku realized. “In a way, it is.”

“Am I the ONLY one who never lived here?” Sora cried.

“Maybe we should help ya invest in some real estate!” Goofy suggested.

“WHAT WOULD THE POINT OF THAT BE?” Donald screamed at him.

“CAN WE RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL SUBJECT?” Even yelled.

“WHY ARE WE ALL YELLING?” Sora asked.

“Gh…” Even gritted his teeth. “If you will follow me, I shall explain the scheduled procedure.”

He brought the group to where two metal cots were set up off-center of the computer monitor. “Our goal is to retrieve the lost memories that belong to Roxas, Naminé, and these other hearts inside of Sora. To do that, we will send both Sora and Kairi into a temporary state of sleep. Naminé should be easily retrieved. Sora may have a longer journey.”

“But…what does that have to do with Digital Twilight Town?” Sora asked, tilting his head.

“We’ve managed to mostly reconstruct it,” Ienzo stated, “but not fully. The Realm of Sleep, however, should fill in the gaps. While you are in sleep, you will be able to explore the town and find the missing pieces. Though the two of you won’t be able to cross paths with each other.”

“I still don’t like this.” Cid shook his head.

“Think of it like this,” Ienzo told Sora. “The memories that rest within you are currently tangled up. They need to be separated into the proper boxes in order to be properly sorted into data that can later be used to recover Roxas and the others. Similarly, Kairi has to collect Naminé’s memories to separate from her own consciousness.”

“O…kay?” Sora replied. “I think I just gotta pick this one up as I go.”

“I think I get it,” Kairi stated.

“Who’s surprised here?” Donald whispered to Goofy.

“I heard that!” Sora yelled at him.

“And the risk of the two of them not being able to come back?” Riku asked.

“Minimal,” Ienzo told him. “However, that is where it will be nice to have you at the ready. You technically are still Sora’s Dream Eater. That means you have a connection to his sleeping self. We could send you in as a lifeline if something should go wrong, and from there, find a way to establish a connection to Kairi. It shouldn’t be difficult; after all, Roxas and Naminé are bonded to each other as well as each of them. A route will be possible if we exploit that connection with the data collected.”

“So I get to play hero.” Riku smiled. “Fine by me.”

“Only in case of a failure,” Even muttered, “which there won’t be.” He moved to the computer terminal and began tapping away at the keys. “I’m initiating the process now, so settle yourselves in place.”

“No prep time, huh,” Sora sighed.

“Figures,” Kairi groaned. “You know, my memories of HIM are starting to come back, too. They’re not great.”

Even bristled but did not pause.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were both settled on the cots. Ienzo had already placed a scattering of electrodes on Kairi; now he was doing the same to Sora.

“Don’t worry,” Ienzo reassured. “There is minimal risk of failure, and Riku will be here to protect you.”

“He always is.” Sora smiled. “Thanks, Riku.”

“Hey, you just do what you do best and go to sleep for a long time,” Riku teased.

“It’s worth the risk,” Sora stated. “To help Roxas. And the others, whoever they all are. Ven, maybe?”

“Naminé deserves to be her own person,” Kairi added. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help her.”

“If you kids’re sure,” Cid grunted. Then, in a low mutter: “That don’t stop me from worryin’…”

Ienzo backed away from Sora; “Both subjects are connected to the system. Execute sleep protocols.”

“Sleep protocols will engage in ten,” Even counted. “Nine…”

Sora’s eyelids drooped. The word “Eight” already sounded muffled. His world was black halfway through “Seven.”

* * *

Now, Sora’s world was staggeringly white.

“Huh?” He turned a 360 to get a good look at the surroundings he’d come to in. “Why does this feel so…familiar?”

It was a grand entry hall, painted snow-white. A crystalline sphere adorned part of the room. Sora approached and tapped the glass, but nothing happened. He then turned his gaze to the only other feature in the room: the short stairway leading up to the double door in the wall.

“It’s like I’ve been here before,” Sora murmured. “But…I don’t know when.” He shrugged. “Oh, well. It is a dream, after all. Dreams don’t make sense. …Wait a minute. Dreams? I wonder…”

He shut his eyes and concentrated.

In a puff of pastel-blue smoke, a pudgy, bouncy creature appeared beside Sora, answering his call: a Meow Wow, hopping excitedly up and down to reunite with its master.

“I KNEW IT!” Sora cried, flinging his eyes open and crouching to hug the cuddle-seeking Dream Eater. “Awww, I missed you too, buddy!”

After a sufficient amount of pets were delivered, Sora stood. “Can’t bring everyone,” he observed. “Room’s too small, and that’d get awkward. But I should at least pick a couple others. The most loyal Dream Eaters I had!”

Three more puffs of pastel smoke revealed a Komory Bat, a Kooma Panda, and a Necho Cat.

“Good to see you guys!” Sora cried, and the trio chorused in squeaks of approval. “You wanna go on one more adventure? Huh?”

The bat fluttered, the Meow Wow bounced, the panda nodded slowly, and the cat bounded from side to side.

“Then let’s do this!” Sora said, swinging a fist and turning it into a thumbs-up.

* * *

_This room is, in fact, an exact replica of an entry hall from Re:Chain of Memories. The Meow Wow, Komory Bat, Kooma Panda, and Necho Cat are your mandatory party members. With them, you gain five new Team Attacks, all of which are lifted directly from DDD. Meow Wounce allows you to bounce with the Meow Wow, Fly-By Knight lets you grab the Komory Bat to attack from above, Swing Fling has the Kooma Panda spin in circles to fling you at the enemy, Paw Groove uses rhythm mechanics to deal damage, and Comet will only spawn rarely but will put all five party members on a meteor that strikes all enemies present._

_Approach the door to move to the next area. You will find it to be similar in design to the Re:Chain of Memories iteration of Twilight Town._

_Sora:_ Whoa! This must be digital Twilight Town! I wonder where everyone’s memories are, though?

_This is a direct homage to Re:CoM. This Twilight Town is a series of “rooms” that are connected by doors. Don’t worry; you won’t need cards to open those doors. The enemies also attack like traditional mobs as opposed to starting encounters on separate boss fields. Because this is the Realm of Sleep, the enemies will be Nightmares – probably just the four in your party but palette-swapped to save on programming._

_There are no treasure chests here, as this area will not be revisitable._

_Move throughout the labyrinthine Digital Twilight Town until you find a card. There are twelve cards to locate, all of which are floating rather obviously in the middle of the rooms they can be found in. You will have to fight Nightmare mobs to get closer to them. Three are blue, three are green, three are black, and three are red. All feature the generic key symbol on them. When you find the first card, this cutscene occurs:_

* * *

The card, square on the bottom but jagged on top, floated lazily in the air before Sora, spinning in a circle.

“I think this is someone’s memory,” Sora guessed, reaching out to grab the card.

It disappeared in a shimmer, reforming in his hand as a much smaller card that could more easily fit in his pocket. The Dream Eaters crowded around to try and get a better look.

“Let’s try and find more!” Sora cried enthusiastically.

* * *

_The rooms that cards are located in will also echo important locales in Twilight Town, but on a smaller, simpler scale. The locations of the cards are as follows:_

_Blue (implied Roxas): Station Square, The Usual Spot, The Sandlot_

_Green (implied Ventus): Sunset Hill, The Candy Shop, Sunset Station_

_Black (implied Xion): The Old Mansion Gate, The Side Alley (where she’s knocked out by Axel in 358/2 Days), Inside the Train Station_

_Red (implied Vanitas): The Sunset Terrace fountain, The Tunnels, a Tram Track_

_Once you have all twelve cards, this cutscene occurs:_

* * *

“That’s a lot of memories,” Sora remarked. “You think we have ‘em all?”

There was no reply, not even a squeak.

“Uh…guys?”

Sora turned to look over his shoulder; the four Dream Eaters were careening away from him, obviously wanting to lead him somewhere.

“HEY!” Sora yelled, running after them. “WAIT UP!”

* * *

_The Dream Eaters will always paw at the door that leads the fastest route to the Old Mansion Gate. If you were already in that room, they just go up to the Old Mansion door. This door could not be entered until now._

* * *

The foyer of the Old Mansion was as Sora remembered it: dilapidated and empty. However, there was one distinctly new feature: the addition of four boxes spread out across the floor. Blue, green, black, red. Just like the cards he carried.

“Boxes!” Sora cried, the Dream Eaters bounding in joy. “Like Ienzo said!”

A shadow, flat on the floor, crept out from behind the pedestal that held the small broken sculpture.

“Huh?” Sora took a step forward to see it more closely.

The shadow erupted, all at once, into an immense, colorful being: a Spellican with wide wings and a screaming beak.

“NOT THAT ONE!” Sora cried. “THAT’S THE ONE THAT CAN SUMMON OTHER ONES!”

But as he recoiled, his Dream Eater friends all jumped out in front of him, bracing for battle.

“You guys got this?” Sora asked.

The Komory Bat, Meow Wow, Kooma Panda, and Necho Cat bounced up and down, squeaking in assent.

“Okay!” Sora cried, removing the memory cards from his pocket. The Dream Eaters surged forth; Sora flicked the cards toward them. “Then GO GET ‘EM!”

* * *

_This battle takes the form of a Flick Rush match! Cycle through the four on your team to defeat a gauntlet of opponents summoned by the Spellican; again, just a palette swap of your team. One Kooma Panda, one Necho Cat, one Meow Wow, and one Komory Bat. The cards you use for attack, defense, and magic will be color-coded like the memory cards, but you get far more than twelve to use here._

_The battle ends once you’ve beaten the last Nightmare. You can then trigger Comet to bring back Sora and ram a meteor into the Spellican, ending the fight once and for all._

* * *

“All RIGHT!” Sora leapt victoriously, pumping a fist into the air as his companions leapt with joy. “We did it!”

He turned his attention to the boxes; “Now to sort these. This doesn’t look too hard – “

No sooner had he spoken, though, than the boxes twitched. All at once, the four boxes began to pinball rapidly around the room.

“WHYYYYY?” Sora cried. “Is this because it’s a dream?”

The Dream Eaters were on the case. Each targeted a different box, catching it and attempting to steer – though it seemed the boxes were doing most of the steering, really.

* * *

_This is a minigame similar to the PS4 version of Treasure Goggle! Use R2/L2 to cycle through the colors of cards. You will see from Sora’s POV, watching the four boxes driven by the Dream Eaters pass back and forth at different speeds. This time, you do have only twelve cards to spend. You have to score over 50% correct to pass this game._

* * *

“Phew!” Sora slumped to a sitting position as the boxes disappeared in flashes of light. “That’s all of them. Okay. I think I’m ready to wake up now.”

* * *

_You may now move about the Old Mansion foyer. The back doors that presumably led to a garden in canon are now accessible and will take you out of Digital Twilight Town to a room that is clearly an exit hall from Re:CoM._

* * *

“I’m gonna be sad to say goodbye to you,” Sora told his Dream Eater friends as they progressed through the hall. “Tell all the others I said hi, okay? And that I feel bad I couldn’t bring them on this adventure.”

The Meow Wow squeaked happily, and the others chorused noises of assent.

“See you guys on the other side,” Sora said as he turned his attention ahead of him –

Only to find that he and his Dream Eaters weren’t the only four in the room.

“Wha - !” Sora recoiled. “Who are you?”

The Nightmare before him also looked strangely familiar. A boy in a Dark Suit, almost identical to the one Riku had worn once, but red with a white skirt rather than a palette of blues and purples. Well, at least, Sora assumed it was a boy. He couldn’t really tell, as the figure’s head was shrouded in a helmet with opaque black glass. The symbol of the Nightmares shone brightly upon that glass.

“Uh…hello?” Sora attempted.

The figure put up a hand, summoning an odd Keyblade indeed. Its hilt and teeth were both forged to look like blood-red gears; blue glass eyes were set at the center of each gear.

“Please tell me you’re friendly,” Sora said nervously.

The Nightmare rushed him, Keyblade striking, to indicate that no, he was not.

Sora’s own Keyblade flashed, but the Kooma Panda got there first, dealing the Nightmare a punch that sent him toppling head over heels backward.

“Thanks for the save!” Sora high-fived the panda. “Looks like we have one last challenge left! Let’s GO!”

* * *

_This is, of course, a Nightmare Vanitas. And fights exactly like BBS Vanitas, though he doesn’t have voice soundbytes at all. This is a more traditional boss battle; fight alongside your Dream Eaters to take him down._

* * *

The Nightmare darted back toward the door Sora had come from, flinging a quick look over his shoulder before disappearing into the sanctuary of the Digital Twilight Town. The door locked with a click.

“Well, at least he went back into the dream instead of out of it,” Sora sighed. “That was weird. But you guys had my back!”

The Dream Eaters put up a cheer.

“It really is time for me to go home, though,” Sora informed them sadly. “But I’ll see you again! I promise!”

The Meow Wow, Komory Bat, Kooma Panda, and Necho Cat crowded around Sora to give him a soft hug goodbye.

* * *

_You regain control in the exit hall. Take Sora through the door across the room into the light to wake him up._

* * *

Darkness. Muffled words coming through:

“Is he…?”  
“Still breathing. But long past the margin of waking.”

“I KNEW I couldn’t trust y’all! I KNEW it!”

“Riku, prepare for an extraction. We’ll send you in immediately.”

“Sora…please wake up…”

“Sora!”

“WAH!” Sora sat bolt upright, eyes shooting open as several electrodes popped off of him. “I’m fine, I’m fine!”

Ienzo, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Cid let out a collective sigh of relief.

“We were scared,” Riku admitted. “Ienzo tracked you to the end of the data realm, but you stayed there too long instead of waking up.”

“Yeah, it was weird.” Sora rubbed the back of his head. “Some Nightmare tried to slow me down. But I showed him – her – them what was what.”

“Can I go back to gloating that I beat him out of the dream now?” Kairi teased.

“No fair!” Sora folded his arms. “You only had to find data on one person!”

“And you only had to find data on two!” Kairi argued. “Also, when were you going to tell me about the Dream Eaters? They’re adorable!”

“Yeah, they – “ Sora realized what Kairi had just said. “Wait! Two? I got four!”

“Erm…no,” Ienzo said, gesturing to the computer terminal. “This is what was collected from your sojourn.”

Three file folders onscreen. All neatly labeled: “Roxas,” “Ventus,” “Naminé.”

“But…no,” Sora argued. “I filled four boxes of memories. There should be five folders there.”

“Maybe something went wrong,” Riku mused.

“Possibly,” Ienzo murmured. “There was, after all, a slight margin for error.”

“Hey, now, wait a second!” Cid cried. “Isn’t this usually where that old coot pipes up an’ says somethin’ about how there ain’t no way his experiment coulda failed?”

“Even?” Ienzo addressed, but no response came.

They all looked this way and that. “He’s gone!” Donald realized.

“Maybe he stepped out to get lunch,” Goofy guessed.

“Well, leaving without telling me wouldn’t be out of character,” Ienzo sighed.

“Who left?” Aerith asked as she and Leon entered the lab.

“Aerith!” Sora hopped off the cot, disconnecting the rest of the electrodes. “They stop giving you trouble out there?”

“Well, we had to wait for Dilan to leave for it to happen,” Aerith said with a shrug, “but yes.”

“Dilan left?” Ienzo asked.

“Even came rushing out to talk to him,” Leon answered. “He said they had important business to attend to.”

“Strange,” Ienzo said softly. “Well, I’m certain Even and Dilan wouldn’t take off without a good reason. They should return soon, and when they do, we can begin reconstruction of the replica bodies that will host the data we’ve found.”

“I swear there should be two more!” Sora argued.

“Would it help if I did go into his dreams and looked around?” Riku asked.

“We don’t have time!” Donald stamped his foot.

“Yeah!” Goofy insisted. “We gotta…uhhhhh…what were we doin’ again?”

“Looking around to see what we could figure out about Xehanort,” Sora stated. “Now we know he’s after the New Seven Hearts, too.”

“We can cover more ground if we split up,” Riku suggested. “A Keyblade to a team. Sora, Donald, Goofy, you make team one. Keep following your instincts; they’ve been good so far. I can check around some of the worlds Aqua visited in the past, the ones that fell to Darkness early on. There might be a connection there. Kairi, you wanna see what you can find in the worlds Organization XIII used to frequent?”

“I have all of the mission files from those days,” Ienzo piped up.

“Sure!” Kairi said with a smile. “And Ienzo? When we get a chance, we HAVE to hang out again.”

“I would love that,” Ienzo said earnestly.

“I’m sure the two of you can get right back to things being like old times in no time!” Sora beamed.

“Well, Ienzo talks more now,” Kairi laughed.

“We’ll keep working on patching this world together,” Leon stated.

“And help with the replicas!” Aerith added.

“Some things really don’t change, do they?” Leon said with a soft smile.

“All right, fellas!” Goofy cried. “We got our missions! Now let’s go do ‘em!”

* * *

_You regain control in the laboratory. Here, you can talk to any of the four present to get some dialogue._

_Ienzo:_ Was there perhaps an error in my calculations? It’s possible…

 _Cid:_ You kids let yourself get destroyed out there an’ I’m gonna bring y’all back just to kill ya again.

 _Aerith:_ I’ve never worked with replicas before!

 _Leon:_ Be careful.

_You can also take photos!_

_Ienzo:_ Oh…ah…I’m not ready…(Turns so his bangs obscure his face from the image)

 _Cid:_ Eh, yeah, sure. Take one. (Shrugs)

 _Aerith:_ I’m honored! (Smiles and clasps her hands)

 _Leon:_ Hmph. (Turns to strike a profile photo)

_You still have Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi in your party, and will until you choose to leave Radiant Garden. For now, there’s more exploration to be done._

_Note that Leon and Aerith will show up for that last scene whether or not you talked to Leon in the library earlier. However, if you missed Leon, the other path in town won’t open up. Sora will hit a wall._

_Sora:_ Can’t be anything interesting down here.

_You can still unlock it; it’s just more difficult now. Go back to the library and snoop around on the upper level until you find the one book you can examine. Do so and read the following text:_

~Fabula Nova Crystallis~

The Stone of Legend is said to predict the coming of kings who will usher in a reign of prosperity and Light. However, it has not been seen for centuries. Where does it hide?

_This book will also appear if you already unlocked thee path to give you a little extra hint at what is to come._

_We’ll say you chose to go down that path after hitting the square again. It will lead through a short area in the Fissure before opening out into a very large cavern…perhaps suspiciously large, as it looks like battle could take place here. At the far end of the cavern is a shining blue crystal partially exposed from the rock but mostly submerged. Walk up to the crystal and examine it with a reaction command to trigger the next cutscene._

* * *

“This must be that crystal,” Sora said as he approached, placing his hand on the facets of the shimmering stone. “I wonder if it’s magic.”

“Sure looks that way to me!” Donald remarked. “And I know a magic crystal when I see one!”

Curiously, Sora rapped on the crystal face with his fist.

“Sora!” Kairi admonished. “Don’t break it!”

The crystal immediately shone brighter, causing Sora to backpedal.

“Looks like somebody was home!” Goofy identified.

Riku flinched, an expression of concern washing over his face. “This Darkness…” he muttered.

A man phased out of the crystal and into the cavern, each step deliberate. The edges of his long, dark coat swirled around his black boots and pinstriped trousers. Further up, he wore an elaborate waistcoat, a white undershirt, and two scarves – orange around his neck and gray over one shoulder. His coat sleeve billowed around the arm that adjusted the wide-brimmed hat atop his red-purple curls.

“Oh, dear,” he remarked, lowering his hand. “I’m not certain I’ve arrived at the correct time or place at all. How foolish of me.” He smiled, seemingly pleasantly.

“Uh…hi,” Sora greeted. “Are you new here?”

“In a sense,” the man replied.

“Well, we’re always ready to help out new friends!” Sora suggested. “We could help you tour the town, or see the castle!”

“Sora.” Riku put a cautioning hand on Sora’s shoulder. “Be careful. There’s a Darkness on him that’s unlike anything I’ve ever sensed before, not even on Maleficent.”

“The castle,” the man repeated, seemingly unaware that Riku had called out anything unusual about him. “Tell me, are you on good terms with the castle?”

“We just came from there!” Sora replied.

“As I figured and feared,” the man said in a tone that was not at all fearful. “Unfortunately, I am not.”

“Why not?” Sora asked. “The right people are in charge.”

The man bristled. His pleasant demeanor faded, his smile downturning. “As I’ve heard for so many, many years,” he hissed. “Perhaps a message is in order. How would the false king react if five of his precious innocent subjects met with a terrible end?”

“I dunno!” Goofy said, not quite grasping the implication. “Prob’ly be sad. But that’s why we’re here to protect people!”

“Goofy,” Kairi cautioned, “I think WE’RE the innocents!”

Riku summoned his blade first, stepping out front of Sora; “I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

“Such charm,” the mysterious man growled. “A perfect indicator of your youth. Once you’ve lived as long as I have, seen how quickly your friends can betray you, you won’t put as much stock in love and loyalty anymore.” A shift came over him; his face was now moon-pale, Darkness dripping from his eyes and mouth. “In a way, I’m doing you a service and sparing you the misery of years of heartbreak.”

“NO WAY!” Sora yelled, summoning up his own blade. “If you’re gonna hurt this world, then we’re gonna show you what the power of friendship can really do! C’mon, guys! Together!”

Donald, Goofy, and Kairi readied their own weapons.

The man gave a subtle laugh. “Oh, this shall be GREAT fun.”

* * *

_Yes, it’s Ardyn Izunia! Or perhaps, more accurately, Ardyn Lucis Caelum. He fills in a superboss role similar to Sephiroth in KH1 and KHII. It’s probably not smart to try and take him at this point in the game, since you will be severely underleveled to match him. The beauty of Ardyn is that once you’ve unlocked the path, you can come visit him at any time in the game to see if you’re strong enough for him. Though by the time you’ve earned enough levels, you may have other superbosses to worry about, but I’m getting ahead of myself._

_Ardyn’s moveset is mostly comprised of his use of the Lucian Arms: a set of pink-tinted blades of various shapes and sizes that encircle him. He can wield any one sword for close-range attacks, summon multiple to surround him as a defensive shield, turn that shield points-outward into a deadly disc, and, as a desperation move, summon a whole lot of swords to send flying at the party. He can also summon land mines and tidal waves of Darkness._

_Since you have Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku in your party, you get all the Team Attacks that come with each of them on their own! They won’t do you too much good against Ardyn’s heavy-hitting attacks at this stage, though._

_If, by some luck or miracle, you do manage to beat Ardyn at this stage, this scene will follow:_

* * *

“Gnah…ngh…” Ardyn stumbled back, hand over his stomach, doubled over. “So…you were quite obviously the wrong ones to pick a battle with.”

“Got that right!” Sora snapped. “Now get out of here, and don’t come back!”

“Sora.” Riku put a hand on Sora’s chest as he stepped forth once more. “I think he might be too dangerous for that.”

“Riku, what are you saying?” Kairi cried.

“Oh, no,” Ardyn said smugly, “your silver-haired friend is correct. I am far too dangerous to let live.” He proceeded further and further backward all the while. “And that shall weigh on your conscience as I resume my own journey.”

He’d bought enough time to back all the way up against the crystal, phasing back into it in a shower of light.

“DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!” Donald cried.

Sora and Riku leapt together at the stone, blades held high, but the moment the Keyblades struck, they were repelled by a great wave of light, thrown across the cavern.

“SORA!” Kairi rushed to them. “RIKU!”

“I’m okay!” Sora said hurriedly as he began to rise.

“Me too,” Riku huffed. Once on his feet, he dusted off his pants. “That guy might be a problem in the long run.”

“You said his Darkness felt different than anything you’d felt before,” Sora pointed out. “But you’ve known Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, who was pure Darkness.”

“It wasn’t stronger, or purer,” Riku clarified. “It felt…older, and more aggressive. The Darkness doesn’t always have to be used to hurt others. But his felt like that was its only purpose.”

“In other words, no friend of ours!” Goofy deduced.

“Well, if he comes back, we’ll be ready!” Donald declared.

“I hope we are,” Riku said with a worried glance toward the crystal.

The crystal only sparkled brightly.

* * *

_The Keychain you receive is for a high-powered Keyblade called the Mutant Rakshasa, after the sword obtained at the end of Final Fantasy XV: episode Ardyn. The hilt features a silver plus-shaped crosspiece and a large silver wing to adorn the edge. The shaft is red with a silver center; the teeth are delicate silver points edged in red metal. The Keychain itself is shaped like the stone setting of the Ring of the Lucii: a sparkling clear stone in a web of black metal. All your stats will be boosted significantly by this blade. Its Keyblade transformation, Rakshasa's Sword, transforms it into a broadsword with a red blade, heavy attack, and a long reach. The finisher move, Armiger Arsenal, creates a ring of blue-tinted swords around Sora similar to Ardyn's weapons and disperses them to take out nearby enemies._

_You can now resume exploring Radiant Garden to your leisure, though there isn’t much more to see._

_When you return to your world map, Twilight Town will be the only world you can select. Do so to warp there._

* * *

Lea and Aqua sat to either side of the table outside Le Grand Bistrot, with Remy perched on the tabletop itself. All three had their eyes on a glass of juice that Merlin held high.

“To Lea’s graduation!” Merlin proclaimed.

“TO GRADUATION!” Aqua and Lea raised their own glasses.

As they clinked, they all heard Sora’s voice cry out, “WAAAAIIIIIIT!”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy skidded to a halt. “Did we MISS IT?” Sora cried in dismay.

“Only the toast,” Aqua informed him. “There’s a tarte aux fruits waiting for us that hasn’t been brought out yet. You can have a piece.”

“Congratulations, Lea!” Goofy said with a grin.

“It’s good to have somebody else with a Mark of Mastery around!” Donald added.

“Mark of Mastery?” Lea recoiled. “No, this isn’t that. I just graduated the basics.”

“The wonderful thing about learning is that it never ceases!” Merlin stated. “And every new step is something to celebrate!”

“But this means I can go out and have adventures with you guys now!” Lea informed them.

“Where are Riku and Kairi?” Aqua asked. “I wanna save some tarte aux fruits for them, too.”

“They’re already off on other missions,” Sora stated. “We have our own, after we stock up.”

“Well, you’re doing a good thing.” Aqua scowled. “All the Darkness out there in the worlds, causing people pain…you’re helping to lessen that pain with every bit you vanquish.”

“Ah, be careful, Aqua,” Merlin warned. “Dark and light, dull and bright, that’s what makes the worlds go ‘round! You cannot have one without the other!”

“That’s right,” Sora said. “Sometimes, people have to get hurt if they’re hurting others. But I don’t think of this as me vanquishing Darkness. More like protecting everyone I can. After all, Riku and Ienzo were once lost in the Darkness.”

“And Terra,” Aqua realized.

“And me,” Lea piped in. “You mean to tell me you didn’t get me memorized?”

“Special words from a special heart,” Merlin told Sora. “You know, my dear boy, sometimes I wonder. Your heart has demonstrated an unusual capacity to be able to shelter those of others. Some say that every once in a few thousand years, there comes along a heart big enough to care for all the people in all the worlds. I don’t doubt that very well may be you.”

“Really?” Sora smiled brightly. “That’d be so cool! I’d be the best hero ever!”

“Though you may want to work on that ego,” Merlin warned.

“Where’s the dessert already?” Donald demanded. “I’m starving!”

“Can’t protect Light’n’Dark on an empty stomach!” Goofy agreed.

“Dinner before dessert!” Merlin and Aqua scolded, prompting Lea to burst out laughing.

They scooted chairs around to make room for the other three, and Merlin used his magic to make several dishes of appetizing-looking food appear.

* * *

_You have free reign to move about Twilight Town. Riku and Kairi are nowhere to be found, but you can interact with Merlin, Aqua, and Lea as usual. Stock up on any supplies you need. When you’re ready, return to the Gummi map. But before you get there, a couple cutscenes will trigger…_

* * *

Maleficent, Pete, Hades, Ursula, and Jafar gathered before a wall they’d modified in the Castle That Never Was. Seven coffins of glass were embedded into the silver, echoing those they’d once used to imprison the Princesses of Heart at Hollow Bastion.

“Oy,” Hades remarked. “Talk about your bad hair day.”

“She don’t look like much,” Pete observed.

“They never do,” Jafar said sourly.

“One down,” Ursula stated. “Six to go.”

“And all without our steadfast heroes suspecting a thing,” Maleficent said slyly.

She then began to laugh as the coffin’s glass shimmered over the tranquil Rapunzel inside.

* * *

_A note: usually, when you return to worlds, you can choose from any party members you had on those worlds. Going back to Corona, you can still have Kairi, Eugene, or Maximus, but Rapunzel will be absent with no explanation._

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Keyblade Graveyard, another dark council was being held.

Ansem, Young Xehanort, Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, Luxord, and Saïx were gathered on the risen pedestals. The old master was absent, as was Braig, but Xemnas took the highest pillar for the time being, looking upon two newcomers, their hoods pulled up.

“We welcome our long-lost brethren back to the fold,” Xemnas declared, gesturing dramatically. “They have chosen to sacrifice the precious gift of humanity in order to return to our cause once more, even knowing its true nature.”

“Your reasoning?” Saïx eyed the pair.

“First of all, one eradication at Axel’s hands was enough to learn where NOT to place my trust,” one of the hooded figures said.

“Even though he gave you a second lease on life?” Saïx asked.

“Why, you almost say that as though you still care about him,” the figure taunted. “Surely that cannot be the case, if you are here.”

Saïx bristled.

“But more importantly,” the figure continued, “he ripped me from the one thing I care about. And the others served to stand in its way once I had regained a heart of my own. A heart that served only to deliver obstructions and attachments. I don’t require humanity. Give me my research. I must see it to fruition, no matter the cost.”

“And you?” Saïx fixed his gaze on the other.

“Words I once said long ago,” the other replied. “Trust no one. Feed your anger. Only anger will keep you strong. A pity it took me so long to realize my own advice. I grew weak, complacent, among THEIR company. It was here I found my true purpose. Humanity is weakness. To lack it is to gain newfound strength.”

“Very well said,” Xemnas replied. “Then it is with great honor that I once again extend my hand to you, once numbers three and four of our old rank, Xaldin and Vexen.”

The man once known as “Dilan” and the man once known as “Even” removed their hoods, revealing their smirking visages.

“Them, too?” Larxene scoffed. “This really is a rehash.”

“A revival,” Xaldin corrected.

“And you really expect me to listen to the old man complaining every five minutes?” Larxene asked.

“No worse than listening to YOU complain every five minutes,” Demyx pointed out. “I’m just sayin’.”

“YOU’RE one to talk,” Larxene snapped at him.

“I cannot say I am pleased with the arrangement, either.” Marluxia glowered at Vexen, who glared right back.

“I said I did not place my trust in Axel and his ilk,” Vexen spat. “I never said I placed it in YOU. Why the Superior has chosen to do so once again is beyond my reasoning.”

“You question my decisions?” Xemnas spoke up.

Vexen flinched, holding up his hands, palms outward; “Oh, no, no, no, my Superior! I merely meant…I do not wish for this traitor to overturn your plans again!”

“Did you not already know of Vexen’s arrival?” Luxord asked Marluxia. “After all, that was what you were attempting to explain to us regarding the replicas, was it not?”

“Let me keep up appearances,” Marluxia told him. “I’m not happy about this arrangement. I wasn’t happy about it then, either. My words remain true.”

“My Superior!” Vexen babbled on. “I have brought you the data of the two wayward spirits within Sora’s heart that you requested. My replicas are at a stage of near-humanity where they can replace, not merely replicate! Given a heart, they can become just as real as any human! And the blueprints to reconstruct those hearts lies in my hands! Soon, our ranks shall be filled and then some!”

“An admirable goal,” Xemnas told him. “However, there is one objective that takes precedence. We still require the box.”

“Box?” Vexen spat. “WHAT box?”

“A mystic box from days of yore,” Xemnas answered, “containing hope and salvation for those who dwell in the Dark. Legend says it was forged from the deepest Darkness by the ultimate Master of Masters himself, who fashioned himself of the Light but was truly only a harbinger of chaos and doom…”

Ansem couldn’t help but set his face a little more firmly in the camp of obvious frustration once Xemnas had gotten rolling.

“…his apprentice Luxu taking the box from sight,” Xemnas prattled on, “hiding it at the very corners of the old World before himself disappearing from history, never to be seen or recorded again. After that, the Lost Masters – “

“But what is IN the box?” Vexen yelled.

“Something the Master obviously thought crucial to the summoning of Kingdom Hearts and the reconstruction of the world,” Xemnas stated.

“Then you would have us chase something of a nature you do not even know?” Xaldin scolded.

“The past holds many clues for us to proceed to the future,” Xemnas answered. “After all, that World was torn apart shortly after the disappearance of the box. Though many attribute it to the Keyblade War and its dueling alliances, it is often thought that – “

“Give it a rest,” Young Xehanort snapped.

Xemnas glowered at him, but went silent. After all, if there was one person he could stop and listen to, it was himself.

“Hand your research to me,” Ansem told Vexen. “After all, I, too, was an apprentice of the man whose name I now bear. I can bring your creations to fruition while you seek this…salvation.”

“YOU?” Vexen cried. “Touch MY work? How DARE – “

“Your membership may be rescinded as quickly as it was granted,” Ansem informed him. “Though this time, the process will be much more painful and more permanent.”

Vexen went silent, though still he scowled.

“I think your sense of discipline is what we need to keep our current box-seeker in line,” Young Xehanort piped up. “Perhaps if you breathe down his neck, he won’t waste time.”

“Heyyyyyy!” Demyx whined. “I didn’t waste time! …Much…”

Vexen let out a “Tch” before replying, “I suppose…if only because I know firsthand how little will get done if you entrust such a mission to HIM.”

“You’re gonna stick me with the killjoy?” Demyx cried. “SO not cool.”

“Though perhaps,” Vexen muttered to himself, “I can utilize this time as a diversion to perfect my replicas before he can get his hands on them…”

“And what of me?” Xaldin asked.

“Perhaps you can bring home another of our lost,” Xemnas mused. “After all…your skill was in Dark manipulation. Soon, another of our number will be revived, but turned to face the light.”

Xaldin grinned. “I welcome the challenge.”

Vexen and Demyx stared each other down, then grimaced in unison.

“All according to our grand design,” Xemnas said with a smile.

Luxord idly flipped a card between his fingers. After all, a master of time knows all too well how easily grand designs are unraveled, given the slightest shift in balance.

* * *

_You’re now back at the world map. Radiant Garden temporarily cannot be visited. However, two new worlds are open to you: THE CARIBBEAN and THE LOST EMPIRE._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vexen and Xaldin are going to remain evil in this because I miss when they were bad guys.


	7. The Caribbean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this to follow the plot of At World's End more closely rather than what canon KHIII did. However, in doing so, I ended up having to quickly explain away why several subplots were removed, so I'm not sure this looks wholly like that film either.

_For the purposes of this next ring of worlds, we’re going to say you chose The Caribbean first._

* * *

Sora lay a small pouch of munny down on the counter of the items shop. “Hi-Potion, please!” He beamed.

“Hey!” Aqua greeted, walking up beside him. “Stocking up for the next adventure?”

“You know it!” Sora told her.

“What you’re doing,” she stated somberly, “it’s wonderful. Helping end the pain of so many.” She began to fidget with her Wayfinder charm, running her fingertips along the edges. “It’s what I first set out to do, when I became a Master. I’m glad you’re doing a better job than I did.”

“Hey, you can still help!” Sora insisted. “Actually…if you want to, then why don’t you come with me to the next world? You and I could fight the bad guys together!”

Aqua flinched, taken aback. Then she smiled. “I’d like that. If you’re okay with it, that is. I’m starting to think I just bring disaster wherever I go.”

“Well, I feel like I bring people good luck,” Sora told her, “so I think it’ll be just fine! But remember: this boat runs on happy faces!” He gave a toothy smile.

“All right.” Aqua grinned. “How’s this?”

“Perfect!” Sora gave a thumbs-up. “Let’s go save the worlds!”

* * *

_The ship starts out at the beginning of the next route._

_Sora:_ Hey! This seems familiar! I actually think I know where we’re going!

 _Aqua:_ You should show me!

_The route is made out like a ship graveyard: deep sea green and misty, with broken ship pieces coming from all angles to form the barrier. Masts, sails, and planks form your obstacles. This route culminates in a boss: the return of the pirate ship Heartless from KHII’s gummi route. Once it’s defeated, it will explode. Descend onto the world to begin the journey._

* * *

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!”

Crystal blue waters connected the myriad of islands that made up the archipelago.

“The Kraken leapt from the ocean brine; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho! And to the Locker the Sparrow confined; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho!”

Ships with tall masts and billowing sails dotted the horizon, almost acting the connective tissue between the Caribbean’s isles.

“Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me!”

Moored at beaches, anchored in water, they each sought different treasures.

“A goddess thought she’d a Sparrow save; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho! And brought a blackguard back from the grave; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho!”

One particular ship was on a mission: its unusual crew seeking to sail further than any ship had ever gone.

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!”

The sun dipped ever lower in the sky. Soon, night would fall.

“The Flying Dutchman is on the hunt; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho! To punish a Sparrow for his affront; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho! Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me!”

Out to the very edges of the ocean, no ships had yet ventured. But that was about to change.

“Within the chest, his secret sleeps; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho! The heart of Davy Jones still beats; look out, me hearties! Yo, ho!”

Now the sun touched the water’s edge, bringing with it the twilight.

“Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me!”

* * *

“Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me!” a far more energetic voice sang beneath the starlit sky.

Sora quite enjoyed the entire situation. The Caribbean was a place he’d always felt alive, like the action was neverending. This time, his clothing had changed for the mission: a veritable sailor’s uniform with a waistcoat, striped pants, and a tricorn hat. He and his friends had ended up on a rather small raft, but he was certain that would be fixed soon enough. He couldn’t help but bounce a little as he began to hum the next verse.

“Why are you so happy?” Donald asked. He now had a bandanna around his head, a button-down vest laying over a tunic.

“’Cause we get to be pirates again!” Sora said gleefully.

“Ya always did like this world!” Goofy asserted. He wore a loose-fitting tunic over a pair of tattered pants.

“How could anyone not?” Sora asked.

“I don’t.” Aqua stood behind the mast, facing away from where the raft sailed, her arms folded. She, too, had an upgrade; her skirt panels had connected into a full blue skirt with extra ribbons and bows on the hem, and her half sleeves were now full sleeves, connected to the shoulders of her dress with small puffs of blue. Her turtleneck was lowered to show off her collarbone, the pink straps that held her emblem in place had been removed, and the dual corset lacing up the bodice had become one set in the center.

“Why not?” Sora asked. “Didn’t you ever wanna be a pirate?”

“No,” Aqua answered sternly, “because pirates are horrible.”

Sora gasped; “WHAT?”

“They’re nothing more than thieves at sea,” Aqua insisted. “I’m disappointed you even decided to sing their song. All they do is hurt people and take what isn’t theirs!”

“That’s not true!” Sora argued. “They don’t – I mean – well, okay, they do, but that’s not ALL they do! Some pirates have more to them!”

“If you make your living stealing from others,” Aqua asserted, “then there’s no more to you. It’s not something you should ever aspire to be, and I’m afraid it’ll put you too close to the Darkness to associate with them.”

“But, uh…” Goofy brought up. “We’ve already got a pirate friend.”

“Captain Jack Sparrow!” Donald added.

“Be careful,” Aqua warned. “If he’s a true pirate, then he’s not your friend. He’s probably just waiting for the right time to betray you all.”

“Jack would NEVER do that!” Sora argued. Then he thought it over; “Well…okay, he MIGHT run away and leave us behind if there’s danger, but it’s not like he’s gonna stab us in the back! Trust me. If you ever meet him, you’ll change your mind on pirates!”

“I hope I never do meet him,” Aqua sighed. “The last thing I need is to be scared for you while someone dangerous hangs around.”

“Then just don’t be scared!” Donald snapped.

“Donald!” Goofy urged. “Maybe we should talk about somethin’ else.”

“Okay,” Donald agreed. “Anybody got any idea where we’re goin’?”

“Uhh…” Sora thought it over. “Why, to the edge of the world, of course!” He pointed dramatically.

“Captain Sora!” Goofy stood, making a salute.

“Aye, First Mate Goofy!” Sora answered.

“Why does HE get to be First Mate?” Donald grumbled.

“What ails ya?” Sora asked in an exaggerated accent.

Goofy pointed in the same direction Sora had been; “THE EDGE OF THE WORLD!”

“Aye!” Sora agreed, and Aqua gave a chuckle.

“Boys…” she muttered. “They do love their games of pretend.”

“We’re runnin’ outta sea, sir!” Goofy cried.

“AYE!” Sora agreed. “WE’RE RUNNIN’ OUTTA SEA!” He laughed until he realized that was not a good thing to hear. He and Donald traded frightened looks before screaming, “RUNNING OUT?”

Aqua gasped, turning to look ahead of the raft. She beheld an immense waterfall that seemed to edge off the entire ocean; the raft was headed straight for it.

“HARD TO STARBOARD!” Sora screamed as Donald paddled furiously.

“THERE’S NO TIME, CAP’N!” Goofy wailed; the raft was tilting but not changing direction, and already the whitewater was pulling it in.

“EVERYONE, HANG ON!” Aqua raised her Keyblade, casting a spherical Barrier around the raft.

And then they all plummeted.

* * *

TITLE CARD: THE CARIBBEAN

* * *

When Sora came to, he was lying in a circle opposed from Donald, Goofy, and Aqua, all of whom stirred at the same time he did.

Aqua was the first to sit up straight, displacing a fair amount of sand as she did; “Is everyone okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sora said as he wrenched himself upright.

“Me too,” Donald sighed, sitting up.

“I’m okay!” Goofy stated as he propped himself up. “…I think.”

With a sigh, the four rested their backs against each other.

“Where are we?” Sora wondered out loud, and now they could all see the oddity: instead of water, it was pure white sand that stretched out as far as the eye could see, with no ocean in sight.

“We’ve gotta be on a Caribbean island,” Goofy mused. “Where else?”

“I don’t like this,” Aqua admitted. “It feels almost…familiar.”

“Familiar?” Sora asked.

“Like the time I spent in the Realm of Darkness,” she admitted. Then she stood, declaring, “We need to get out of here.”

But that caused the other three to lose their balance and fall onto their backs with a triple cry. Aqua gasped; “Oh! I’m so sorry!”

Sora laughed; “It’s fine. Donald would’ve done it on purpose anyway.”

“No I wouldn’t!” Donald argued.

“I don’t know which way is out,” Aqua said with a furrowed brow, “but I know we won’t find it sitting around here.”

So they ended up in a procession, Aqua in the lead and Sora, Goofy, and Donald trailing behind. While Aqua stood tall and proud, the other three were drooping dramatically.

“We’ve been walkin’ forever,” Goofy sighed.

“It’s been ten minutes,” Aqua told him.

“I’m exhausted,” Donald groaned.

“Some pirates,” Sora muttered. “We won’t get anywhere without a ship.”

Aqua sighed, turning on a dime to face him, hands on her hips.

Sora stopped suddenly as she did so; Goofy and Donald ran into him and each other due to the sudden brake.

“We aren’t trying to be pirates,” Aqua clarified. “We’re the heroes.”

As Aqua spoke, Sora leaned around her, his focus caught on something in the distance.

“A lot of times, good people have to make sacrifices,” Aqua went on. “That’s something we all know. We’re lucky that this time, it’s as simple as just needing to walk a while to get where we need to go.” She smiled. “But I know you three are troopers, and we can make it, whether or not we have – “

“A ship!” Sora cried, pointing behind Aqua.

“Right!” Aqua nodded. Then realized where Sora was pointing. “Huh?”

She turned to see the outline of the galleon on the horizon.

“Or…maybe we find a ship,” Aqua corrected herself.

“This is dry land!” Donald yelled, stomping his foot in frustration.

“I dunno!” Goofy cried joyously. “Looks like it’s movin’ just fine to me!”

Indeed, the immense vessel seemed to be sailing away from the quartet.

“What…” Aqua tilted her head. Then sighed. “Guess I’ve seen weirder.”

“WE’RE SAVED!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelled. They immediately took off, their energy renewed as they chased the boat.

“Wait!” Aqua called, hand raised as she followed. “We don’t know if that ship is friend or enemy! Sora! Donald! GOOFY!”

As it turned out, the ship wasn’t sailing in the traditional sense, but being carried by an absolute multitude of tiny white crabs that flowed like a current.

“That’s weird,” Sora observed, scowling at it and failing to notice the sudden sound of a new, faster set of footsteps coming up behind the group. “Why are those there?”

“I say we don’t take it for granted,” Aqua told him. “We need to – AH!”

The newcomer crashed into her outright, knocking her over.

“Ah, sorry, miss!” Captain Jack Sparrow blurted, turning around and jogging backward, heel-first, to keep an eye on Aqua and make sure she was relatively all right.

Aqua quickly leapt to her feet and dusted off her new skirt. “I’m okay, but who – “

“No time!” Jack turned to face forward, racing off again. As he passed the others a salute; “Hail, Sora!”

“Hey!” Sora cried, beaming. “It’s you!”

“He’s a friend of yours?” Aqua asked.

“Eeyup!” Goofy confirmed. “We knew him from when – “

“Belay the introductions!” Jack yelled, outpacing the group. “Ship absconding!” He pointed toward the vessel that continued to sail away.

“Want some help catching up to it?” Donald asked.

“I should think it would only be the polite thing to do after slowing a man down,” Jack groaned.

“That wasn’t OUR fault!” Sora argued as Aqua scowled. “But we’ll still help you catch – is that the Pearl?”

“The one and only!” Jack confirmed.

“Okay!” Sora cried. “We’re on it!”

“You might be rude,” Aqua told him, “but if that ship belongs to you, then we can’t let it get away!”

* * *

_Aqua and Jack Sparrow are added to your party! You gain the Never Fear attack with Jack, but with Aqua, the Icy Slider attack from Re:Mind is repurposed for Sora to ride the blade instead of Ven._

_You shouldn’t really be taking photos now, but if you did, Jack’s dialogue and actions would be canon while –_

_Aqua:_ What a wonderful way to keep your memories! Here… (she brings out her Keyblade and braces it imposingly) How’s this look?

_The ship chase is going to be altered slightly; the Black Pearl goes slowly enough that you actually can fight the Heartless and gain EXP from them without having to prioritize the ship or fail. There’s really no way you can lose it. The ship will begin to fire cannons in the midst of the chase:_

_Sora:_ Who’s shooting at us?

_When you catch up to the ship, a pair of Anchor Raiders will descend from it._

_Sora:_ Hey! They’re the ones doing all this!

 _Aqua:_ Heartless. I’m not surprised. Take ‘em down!

 _Jack:_ No one said you could use my ship!

_Defeat both Anchor Raiders to clear the field._

* * *

Jack hauled himself up over the side of the ship, leaning over and beckoning; “Now or never, mates!”

“Right!” Sora ran right up the side of the ship, smiling all the way. Donald turned his staff point-down to blast it off with a Firaga, riding it like a broom. Goofy twirled his shield round and round to gather the necessary weight to launch himself into the air and on deck, which really shouldn’t have been possible in the first place, but it was Goofy, so no one questioned it. Finally, Aqua cast a Blizzard line that she used to ride up the ship’s side, landing neatly on the deck beside her comrades.

“Well met, everyone!” Jack congratulated. “As I remembered; you always were better at the whole ‘monster’ side of the operation. Leaves me to do the ever-important job of supervising.”

“Same ol’ Jack!” Goofy proclaimed as Donald rolled his eyes.

“Though I don’t remember you.” Jack approached Aqua. “I certainly WOULD’VE remembered a swashbuckler of your talent.”

“I still say you were rude earlier,” Aqua told him, “but…that’s really sweet of you to say. Thank you.”

“Much obliged, miss.” Jack gave a playful bow. “Don’t think I didn’t see how you were pulling the weight of the other three back on shore.”

“HEY!” Sora yelled.

Aqua chuckled.

“Now, I haven’t yet got your name,” Jack reminded her.

“Aqua,” she said with a nod.

“Aqua,” Jack repeated. “It’s got a lovely maritime ring to it.”

“And you?” Aqua asked. “Your name is…Jack?”

“Not just any old Jack,” Sora corrected. “He’s Jack Sparrow!”

“CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow,” Jack said proudly.

Aqua recoiled; “So YOU’RE the pirate Sora was talking about.” Her face curled into a dour scowl.

“Uh-oh…” Donald muttered.

“I should hope he was talking about me,” Jack replied. “I make a point of being infamous, you know.”

“I don’t think that’s her problem,” Goofy told him. “Aqua doesn’t really like pirates.”

“What?” Jack spat, glowering at her. “And why not?”

“Because you’re a selfish thief who spends his life hurting others!” Aqua snapped.

“At least I’m not riding a moral high horse while doing so,” Jack told her, “which is more than can be said for many who travel the seas with more legal intentions. One of which I’m beginning to suspect is aboard my Pearl.”

“I’m not on a moral high horse!” Aqua yelled. “I just don’t see how anyone can consider you a good friend after all the bad things you’ve done!”

“Maybe because I’ve done some good as well,” Jack told her. “Got to balance it out, you know.”

“Oh, so you think I’ll forgive you because you were nice once or twice?”

“Usually I’ve got to break a woman’s heart before she speaks to me like this. But to answer your question, it’s the least I could hope for, given our situation.”

“We don’t need a ride from you,” Aqua seethed. “Come on, Sora, Donald, Goofy. We’re finding another way off this island.”

“Good luck with that,” Jack told her, “seeing as it’s not an island but Davy Jones’ Locker.”

“Yeah, Aqua!” Sora argued. “We can’t just turn down a ride out of Davy Jones’ Locker!” He then paused. “Uh…what’s Davy Jones’ Locker?”

“Where the seaworthy go once they’ve, er, passed beyond the mortal coil,” Jack explained.

“Uhhhh, what’s that again?” Goofy asked.

“He’s sayin’ we’re beyond the grave, ya big palooka!” Donald argued.

“Oh, I get it now!” Goofy said cheerfully. Then it sank in; “WHAAAAT?”

“You mean we’re…” Sora’s eyes widened. “Goners?”

“A rather less-eloquent way of putting it,” Jack told him, “but more or less, that is correct.”

“And you didn’t think to tell us that when we showed up?” Sora argued.

“Usually, a sailor knows when he’s passed!” Jack said defensively. “Thought perhaps we could make a celebration of it. Not much we can do about it now. Though it seems the Pearl has an idea of where she wants to go, which I’m not about to question.”

“Maybe she’s leadin’ the way out!” Goofy suggested.

“There’s no way out from where we are!” Donald mourned.

“Yes, there is.” Aqua paced across the deck to the opposite side, looking out over the horizon. “This isn’t the first realm of hopelessness I’ve found my way out of. Back then, I made a promise that if anyone else fell into that realm with me, I would be their Wayfinder. Now it’s time to make good on that promise.” She turned to face the group. “I’m getting you all out of here.”

“Even Jack?” Goofy asked.

Aqua faltered.

“I’m beginning to think I don’t want your rescue,” Jack told her. “Also consider all previous compliments toward you rescinded.”

“But you guys were getting along so well!” Sora groaned. “Can’t you just put this one little thing aside?”

“Being a pirate is not ONE LITTLE THING!” Aqua emphasized.

“Well, miss,” Jack replied, “have you ever sailed a ship before?”

“No,” Aqua told him, “but I don’t need to.”

“Well, then there’s nothing for you down here,” Jack stated. “Only those with the skill and knowhow can even dream of returning to the land of the living. You’re not going to turn around and suddenly find a group of well-meaning rescuers on the shores of Davy Jones’ Locker, come to escort you home.”

“Look!” Goofy pointed off Aqua’s side of the deck. “I think I see somebody! Looks like a group of well-meanin’ rescuers on the shore, waitin’ to bring us home!”

“WHAT?” Jack sputtered.

Aqua whirled to see the figures on the horizon. She beamed; “Someone’s come to save us!”

Jack raced to stand beside her, taking stock of the group of very familiar silhouettes. “But of course,” he grumbled, “it had to be her.”

“Her?” Sora now took his place at Jack’s other side. He gasped when he saw the party on the shore; “It’s Will and Elizabeth!” He put up a hand to wave; “WILL! ELIZABETH! HEEEEEY!”

“Well,” Jack proclaimed, “time to make a dramatic entrance!” He leapt up to begin climbing the rigging.

“Sora,” Aqua said softly yet sternly as soon as he’d left, “I don’t think we should travel with your…’friend.’”

“Aww, why not?” Sora asked.

“Because he’s only in it for himself,” Aqua told him. “He’ll go astray and betray you, and I’m starting to think he’s closer to the Darkness than you realize.”

“But he helped us in the past,” Sora reminded her. “He did the right thing. And he treats us like real friends. Is it so bad if he has some Darkness in him?”

Aqua sighed. “If you trust him…then I’ll trust you. But if I think I need to step in and protect you before you get hurt by him, then I will.”

“Won’t happen,” Sora told her. “You’ll see!”

* * *

Lined up on the beach were a thickset man with bright-white sideburns, a gaunt man with a grizzled beard, a blonde woman wearing her hair loose and clothed in dark garments, a handsome young man with a short brunette ponytail, and a woman who bore long black dreadlocks and a variety of beaded necklaces.

They watched as the Black Pearl crested the dune before them, Jack Sparrow standing tall and proud atop its mast. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aqua had taken their places at the fore of the boat to get a better look at their rescue party.

When the Pearl finally came to a stop, all disembarked, either by rigging, magic, or Keyblade trickery, and the quintet landed on the sand before their rescuers.

“Gibbs!” Jack nodded to the man with the sideburns. “Didn’t quite expect to see you here of all places, I must admit.”

“Must ye get into this much trouble every time ye go off on yer own?” Gibbs sighed. “I look forward to seein’ how yer gonna top needin’ to be dragged back from the dead.”

“Well, thank goodness you’re all right,” the man with the short ponytail sighed.

“How’d you all get here, anyhow?” Jack asked him. “Don’t tell me it was the same route I took.”

“We had help,” the man with the ponytail, Will Turner, explained, nodding toward the man with the gray beard.

“Aye,” the bearded man confirmed. “As ye may notice, I’ve managed to escape the Locker before. Sorry to disappoint ye for thinkin’ ye had me bested.”

“WAH!” Sora cried upon finally realizing who he was. “CAPTAIN BARBOSSA? JACK, LOOK OUT!”

“An enemy!” Aqua realized, drawing her blade. And once she had her weapon out, then Sora, Donald, and Goofy brought out theirs.

“NO!” Jack waved frantically toward them. “No, no, no, no weapons! Not YET, anyway. I want to hear what he’s got to say, especially if it involves me leaving this place!”

“Captain Barbossa took us past World’s End to find this place,” Will went on.

“We’ve come to rescue you!” the blonde, Elizabeth Swann, insisted.

Jack turned up the corner of his upper lip; “And why should I sail with you?” He looked over the group. “Four of you’ve tried to kill me in the past.” As his gaze settled on Elizabeth, he seethed, “And one of you succeeded.”

“WHAT?” Sora yelled. “WHY?”

“That ain’t real nice!” Goofy added.

“Elizabeth,” Will gasped, “is this true?”

“Well, I came to help get him back, didn’t I?” Elizabeth defended quickly. “Does that not serve as an apology?”

“What did he do to deserve that?” Aqua asked, and from her tone, no one could quite tell if she was insinuating that Elizabeth had been in the wrong or that she was convinced Jack had deserved it from the start.

“Nothing!” Elizabeth argued. “The Kraken was after him, and wouldn’t let up until it’d got him! It was him or the rest of us!”

“So…you had to make a tough choice for the greater good,” Aqua realized. “It sounds like you did the right thing.”

“Doesn’t quite feel as though I’ve done the right thing,” Elizabeth sighed. “There had to have been a better way.”

“Are you all pirates, too?” Aqua asked.

“Some of us, yes,” Will answered. “But Elizabeth and myself, no.”

“Then why come back to save Jack?” Aqua asked Will and Elizabeth. “Especially from a place that no one usually comes back from.”

Will and Elizabeth exchanged looks, then turned to Aqua. “Because he’s a friend,” Elizabeth answered, “and we couldn’t just leave him behind. Not after what I’d done, at any rate.”

“I see,” Aqua muttered.

Voices in her head, repeating the past:

“You’ll go astray again.”

“You’re awful, Aqua.”

She shook her head. No time to dwell on that now.

“Are you one of Sora’s friends?” Will asked. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” He nodded; “Will Turner.”

“And Elizabeth Swann,” Elizabeth added. “Our traveling companions are Mr. Joshamee Gibbs, Captain Hector Barbossa, and Tia Dalma.”

“I’m Aqua!” Aqua smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. …Most of you, anyway.” She fired a glower in Barbossa’s direction.

“Yeah!” Sora marched right up to Barbossa, holding up an index finger in his face. “I’m not sure I trust you! There better be no funny stuff!”

“A promise I cannot make,” Barbossa said slyly. “I am, first and foremost, a pirate, after all. I want what’s in it for me. But at the moment, there’s nothing in it for me if any of you comes to harm.”

“All right.” Sora folded his arms. “But I’m watching!”

“I think this could be a good thing!” Goofy stated. “Maybe this means we can be friends for real now!”

Barbossa let out a harsh laugh at that. “Friends, is it? If that be how you care to think of it, I won’t stop ye. But it ain’t how I see it.”

“Well, ya don’t hafta,” Goofy told him. “We’ll just be nice to ya anyway!”

“Except I’m not gonna forget that time you set that Heartless on us!” Donald grumbled.

“Nor should ye,” Barbossa said with a wink. “I may very well do it again, ye know.”

“That’s not exactly a promising start to this alliance,” Aqua told him.

“Captain Barbossa has been trustworthy for this voyage,” Elizabeth corrected. “I’m inclined to think he’s harmless, at this point.”

“At this point, we’re MISSING the point,” Jack reminded everyone. “As I said, you’re all the collective reason I ended up in this state to begin with! If I’m leaving, it won’t be with you! Perhaps I like it better down here than topside, waiting for the next one of you to chain me to a ship so a beastie can swallow me whole!”

“Elizabeth – “ Will began.

“I’ll tell you the long of it once we’re on open water again,” Elizabeth sighed.

Will nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. “Well, at least I know this was about something different than you chasing a lost love.”

“You thought I loved HIM?” Elizabeth laughed as she gestured to Jack.

“HEY!” Jack grunted.

“It’s only funny ‘cause she’s so in love with Will!” Goofy pointed out. “I could never see Elizabeth fallin’ for somebody else!”

“The point is, you can take Sora, Donald, Goofy, and She of the Upturned Nose back with you,” Jack told them, “but I’m staying put.”

“Ye do not understand, Jack.” It was the first time the dreadlocked woman had spoken. “’Tis about more than friendship an’ loyalty. Lord Beckett has taken control of Davy Jones and the Kraken, an’ him intend to hold all the seven seas in him fist of iron.”

“…Well,” Jack admitted, “that changes things.”

“Who’s Lord Beckett?” Sora asked.

“Ye remember how much trouble I gave ye back on the Isla de Muerta?” Barbossa asked.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded with a synchronized “Uh-huh!”

“Well,” Barbossa concluded, “dealin’ with Cutler Beckett’ll make that seem like a leisurely sail on the smoothest of waters.”

“He wants to have control of the seas and end piracy,” Elizabeth stated.

“Isn’t that good?” Aqua asked. “The seas need to be controlled by someone for there to be order. And the end of piracy means there won’t be robbery at sea anymore.”

“No, Aqua!” Sora argued. “The sea is for everyone! You can’t control it! How else are you going to feel as free as the wind in your hair if everyone’s breathing down your neck?”

“Sora’s right,” Will agreed. “And don’t think Lord Beckett intends to stop after pirates, either. He’ll keep enforcing new regulations until the world is at his command.”

“Then we just need to find a way to stop him after he’s put in a plan for pirate reform,” Aqua said. “Or take his plan for reform and use it ourselves.”

“There’s no plan for reform, lass,” Barbossa told her. “The plan is that every last pirate finds themself down here. And not by choice.”

Aqua gasped. “That’s terrible!”

“That’s how it be on the high seas,” Barbossa told her. “Ye got to let good an’ evil both sail the waters, else ye’ll be doin’ evil in the name of good.”

“The Brethren Court has been called,” Tia Dalma went on. “There needs ta be a way ta end Beckett an’ Jones’ reign of terror once an’ for all. Be this a choice Captain Teague can make without Jack Sparrow to speak?”

“Absolutely not!” Jack huffed. “You know what’ll happen if you let him keep the helm. It’ll be equivalent to spinning a ship ‘round in circles and getting nowhere.”

“Then ya see how this might be about more than yer friendships an’ past grudges,” Tia Dalma asserted. “Though it might do ye some good to heal the wounds on yer heart left from such blows.”

Jack let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, well, all right. But only so Teague doesn’t end up sinking the entire Brethren Council to the depths.”

“Sounds like ya got a history with that guy,” Goofy pointed out.

“You could say that,” Jack replied. “I’ve known him rather a long time. After all, I am his son. Well then. To the Pearl, so we can sail back topside?”

He turned around and set off. After a moment, it finally set in.

“Wait a minute!” Sora yelled. “Your DAD is in charge of all the pirates? HOW MUCH DID I MISS WHILE I WAS GONE?”

“We’ll be glad to have your help too, Sora,” Will said. “As well as that of Donald and Goofy.”

“And yours, Lady Aqua,” Elizabeth added.

“I ain’t so sure,” Barbossa grumbled. “Already she’s spoken words in line with Beckett’s cause. D’ye really think she’s trustworthy?”

“I’M the one you can’t trust?” Aqua snapped. “That sounds about right, coming from you.”

“The chile see in light an’ shadow,” Tia Dalma stated. “So many of us do. Her heart be steeped in light, as yers be steeped in the dark, Captain Barbossa. And yet ye fight for a cause that lie in-between. Ye say she cannot do the same?”

“I’ll give her a chance,” Barbossa grumbled. “If only because it would be bad form to leave a maiden in the Locker while her friends escape free of charge.”

“We’re not leaving Aqua behind!” Donald insisted.

Tia Dalma approached Aqua. “I see a bright light in ye, chile,” she said softly. “Ye could be the one we need ta quell the storm. But first, ye got to learn to see in the dark.”

“See in the dark?” Aqua repeated.

“I’ve great hope for ye, chile,” Tia Dalma repeated with a smirk.

“Let’s catch up with Jack!” Sora suggested, and the group took off – all but Aqua.

“I’m not a child!” she called after them. But then she took a moment, her gaze downcast.

A sudden memory: looking into the mirror of the World Within, hearing her own voice say, “Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon’s.”

“Am I wrong?” Aqua asked herself softly. “The pirate captains are close to the Darkness, and the Darkness can’t be trusted. But if the only other choice is to end them, to hurt them, then which way is the right path?”

“Aqua?”

She looked up to see Sora regarding her with concern; “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she said hastily. “I just…will be glad to get out of here.”

“Then let’s go!” Sora waved her on.

She followed him back to the Pearl.

* * *

Afloat the waters of the living world was a ship crewed by three. Well, technically, one. Two were guests, and one of those guests wouldn’t do any crewing even if he were permanent staff. But as the ship could be anchored far out at sea with no one to listen in, it was the perfect place for the three to converse. Or, technically, the two who could be bothered.

“Ohhh, how does he do it?” Vexen grumbled as he paced the deck. “A creature absent a heart and yet somehow able to keep existing without becoming a Nobody…” He halted, raising a hand to his chin. “Not even my finest replica can claim that achievement! The secret must be in that box the trade lord keeps, which leads me to the only conclusion: it is the very box we seek! I have to know what mysteries it contains…”

From behind, Luxord glared at him; “I believe your orders were to find the box and seize it. No more.”

From even further behind, Demyx had fashioned a makeshift chair out of some crates and barrels and was kicking back on it. “And I believe if you’re so motivated, you really don’t need me for this one. I’m just gonna chill out.”

“Put a leash on your runaway curiosity,” Luxord bade Vexen, ignoring Demyx.

“Always so short-sighted!” Vexen spun, throwing an arm up into the air to emphasize his point. “Why would the Organization seek me out as soon as I was recompleted if not to affirm my intellectual prowess and invest in my research?”

“I mean, there’s not much else to like about you, really,” Demyx broke in.

Vexen leaned around Luxord to glare at him; “MUST you?”

“Hey!” Demyx shrugged. “At least I’m with you that there’s probably SOMETHING cool in the box. We should totally open it if we find it.” He cleared his throat. “WHEN we find it. Yeah. When.”

“You see?” Vexen urged to Luxord. “Even Demyx is more willing to seize the possibilities within the box than you are. That should say something. Every stride I make is a stride for all of us.”

“Meaning less striding for me,” Demyx added.

“Oh, really?” Luxord hissed. “And what exactly are we striding towards?”

Vexen raised a brow, noting the tension Luxord carried within him. “Luxord, do I detect…a hint of treachery in your words?”

“Ooooooh!” Demyx crowed. “Someone’s in trou-bllllllle!”

“What?” Luxord gasped. “Don’t be absurd. I serve the Organization. I don’t share your need to please Xemnas. He’s good at wrapping you around his little finger. Always has been.”

At this, Demyx looked up and directly at Vexen, bearing an expression of mild concern.

“Hrm.” Vexen smirked. “All I desire is the freedom to continue my research. Ansem the Wise refused to nurture my talents. So I cast my lot with Xemnas – with Xehanort, rather. Simple as that.”

Demyx’s eyes flicked between the two as they volleyed the conversation.

“I see,” Luxord retorted. “And you don’t care how he uses your research?”

“Not in the slightest!” Vexen proclaimed proudly, grin wider than ever. “All that concerns me is that I create the perfect human vessel.”

Luxord gave a soft, doubtful “Mm-hmm.”

“Look.” Demyx slid off the crates, boots hitting the deck. “We all gotta be on the same page here. We’re only doing what the big guy says so we don’t get wiped out at the end, right? Do you wanna get wiped out? I sure don’t. So we go poking around for this box thing. It’s what we do to get by. But does Xemnas actually care about any of us besides what he can get from us? Oh, please. He cares about as much as I do: zero. His praise means squat. Well, except maybe that we don’t die today. We do what he says to survive. That’s IT.”

“Are you suggesting that – “ Vexen halted. “What…are you suggesting?”

“That you care way, WAY too much about what he thinks,” Demyx clarified. “Why do you need Xemnas to tell you you’re the biggest nerd ever? We all KNOW that. So just keep your head down, do what he says, and chill.” Demyx laughed to himself: “Heh heh…‘chill.’ My point is, guys like us who don’t get so much as a thank-you, we don’t need him to tell us anything.”

“If the amount you care is truly ‘zero,’” Luxord asked, “then why speak up?”

“Do I need a reason for that?” Demyx shrugged. “Maybe I just wanna talk! I dunno!”

“All the same,” Vexen muttered, “it was an…intriguing sentiment.”

Demyx clicked his tongue and shot him a pair of finger-guns.

Vexen winced from the sound; “Don’t do that.”

“Oh, riiiiight,” Demyx realized. “Because of that time you got – “

“DON’T BRING IT UP, EITHER!”

“Sheesh, sor-ry!”

Luxord threw his hands out to the sides sharply to stop them both from talking. “Bicker all you like,” he told them, “but I know this world better than both of you.”

“Dude!” Demyx argued. “Look at all this water! How is this NOT my territory?”

“Because I have been here before,” Luxord reminded him, “and you did not have the luck to survive long enough to see it.”

“Speaking of things we shouldn’t bring up,” Demyx grumbled, folding his arms. And Vexen folded his arms, too, because he wanted it doubly etched in steel that his prior demise was off the discussion table.

“Kindly stay out of the way,” Luxord said, looking from one to the other.

“Yeah, like I needed an excuse to get outta here.” Demyx began to cross the deck. “C’mon, Vex. Let’s blow this joint and find something more interesting to do than listen to this blowhard.”

Vexen shrugged; “Considering those pests have shown up, I’d hardly get anything done anyway.” He raised a hand to wave Luxord off as he turned to walk in the same direction as Demyx.

“I already know what to do with the ‘pests,’” Luxord proclaimed. “Then you can resume your stuffy studies, and you, Demyx, may return to doing…nothing at all of any worth.”

Both of them turned to yell “SILENCE!” at Luxord at the same time.

Luxord chuckled. “So different, and yet cut from the same cloth.”

Vexen sighed. “See that the nuisances are taken care of. We will watch from the shadows. And when the time comes – “

“We get dibs on opening the box,” Demyx added.

A Corridor swallowed them both, leaving Luxord by his lonesome.

“Xemnas’ bar for recruitment remains low as ever, I see,” Luxord sighed before turning back to the helm.

* * *

Sora was underwater.

He let out a cry, bubbles spilling from his mouth, as the masts of the Pearl rose higher and higher, the sunlight breaking the surface from above before the ship did from below.

Then it erupted into the soft twilight, rocking a bit before settling on the calm waters.

Those aboard collapsed onto the deck, heaving labored breaths from the voyage. Sora was the first to rise, shaking off his hands. “Thanks, guys,” he muttered. “You could’ve warned us.”

“Yeah!” Goofy added. “Everything went topsy-turvy and upsy-downsy!”

Aqua wrung salt water out of her skirt. “At least we’re free of that place. That’s a good first step.”

“Thank goodness,” Donald sighed.

“Never fear.” Jack staggered to his feet. “All according to plan.”

He brought out a familiar compass, checking its needle. It spun round and round with no sign of stopping. As it had done the last ten times he’d checked it. Quickly it went back into his pocket before anyone could comment.

“We’d best begin to make our way,” Barbossa said before snapping out commands to the rest of his crew: “Full sail! Take her starboard!”

“Ooh!” Sora’s attention was caught. “Can I drive?”

“I’m not certain this is the time or the place,” Elizabeth told him.

“Nonsense!” Jack rebutted. “A boy’s got to learn how to handle a ship at some point. You want a lesson? Then follow me, Mr. Sora.”

“All RIGHT!” Sora pumped his fist and ran after Jack, up the stairs to the helm.

Jack gestured to the wheel, which Sora grasped. “No, not like that,” Jack said as he repositioned Sora’s hands. “You want a firmer grip. The last thing you need is to lose hold of the helm during a critical moment. Now, you see that island there with the two peaks?” He pointed to the horizon. “If you can reach that, then the open sea is yours.”

Sora gave a gasp of awe, a little chuckle, and an “Aye-aye!”

“Oh, no,” Donald groaned. “Here we go again…”

* * *

_The sailing mechanic is unchanged. Sail to the island of two peaks. Just before you reach it, two enemy ships will rise from the sea._

_Goofy:_ There’s Heartless on those ships!

 _Jack:_ Ready the cannons!

 _Aqua:_ Let’s take them down!

_You’ll have to defeat both ships before you can progress. We will not be doing any crab collection or ship-leveling, so the ship will remain at the same level throughout, with no curve required to visit any certain area._

* * *

“WOOHOO!” Sora yelled, taking a momentary victory leap (and worrying Jack quite a bit) before grabbing a firm hold of the helm again. “We did it!”

“YOU did it, Sora,” Jack told him. “Keep that up and you’ll be first mate material before you know it.”

“Aww, not captain?” Sora groaned.

“I’m the only captain on this ship,” Jack told him in a soft tone.

“I HEARD THAT!” Barbossa yelled from the deck.

“You have, however, proven your salt as helmsman,” Jack stated. “You can remain at the wheel until we reach the Court.”

“So what is the Brethren Court, anyway?” Sora asked.

“Nine pirate lords from ‘round the world,” Jack explained as he looked off into the horizon, watching the setting sun. “First assembled to wrest control of the sea from the person who had it to begin with: the goddess Calypso.”

“Goddess?” Sora repeated. “This is the first I’m hearing of a goddess here.”

“Well, the Brethren Court sealed her away,” Jack went on. “That’s why no one’s heard anything of her ‘till now. Each of the lords carries with them a ‘piece of eight’ that marks them as a lord. They say it’s connected to the ritual that sealed Calypso away and stopped her from ruling the seas.”

“Though all considered,” Tia Dalma said as she ascended the steps to the helm, “it might not be a bad ting, Calypso rulin’ them waters again. Better than Cutler Beckett doin’ the same.”

“Right on that one,” Jack sighed.

“You know anything about Calypso?” Sora asked.

“A ting or two,” Tia Dalma said with a smirk. “They say few tings can return her to this world. A ritual that assembles them nine pieces of eight. Or…some say…a key that bridges the gaps between the worlds.” Her smirk widened. “But I’m sure no such ting exists, does it?”

“Hmm…” Sora couldn’t help but wonder if Tia Dalma knew more about the Keyblade than she was letting on.

“So you’re saying that kind of key could set Calypso free.”

Tia Dalma moved aside to reveal Aqua coming up the steps behind. “Sorry for eavesdropping,” Aqua said sheepishly. “I was just thinking. If Calypso ruled the ocean again…would the pirates be spared?”

“Calypso don’t discriminate who sails her waters,” Tia Dalma replied. “Any death she causes at sea is a death would’ve been died in the first place.”

“Could she bring rules and order,” Aqua posed, “but not have to hurt anyone?”

“Hrm,” Tia Dalma replied. “I don’t know about them ‘rules and order.’ She very nature be chaos an’ change. But nothin’ so bad as Lord Beckett would threaten the whole.”

“Then…maybe we could find one of these ‘keys’ and use them to save her,” Aqua figured. “Why was she imprisoned in the first place?”

“Per’aps because chaos an’ change aren’t appreciated,” Tia Dalma told her. “Is that what ye want, chile? An ocean where ye don’t know if the winds an’ waves’ll be faithful to ye or leave ye stranded?”

“I want…” Aqua faltered. “I want what’s right.”

Tia Dalma gave a chuckle. “Ye’ll be gettin’ used to such tings, castin’ yer fate with Jack Sparrow. After all, ye soon be sharin’ in the wrath of Davy Jones.”

“The guy you all mentioned earlier?” Sora recalled. “Who does he think he is, anyway?”

“I think the real question is who he actually is,” Aqua added.

“And what did Jack ever do to him?” Sora concluded.

“Truly?” Tia Dalma asked playfully. “Ye don’t know who Davy Jones be? An’ you say you be a man of the sea. Surely the chile named for the sea itself know the legend?” She turned to Aqua.

“Oh, I…” Aqua faltered. “Our sea is farther away. We don’t know your legends.”

“That be so?” Tia Dalma replied. She nodded toward Jack; “Jack and Davy Jones’ fates be intertwined. Jones, him raised Jack’s precious Pearl from the depths an’ make Jack captain for thirteen years.”

“Do we have to tell this part?” Jack broke in.

“In exchange,” Tia Dalma went on, “Jack promise to give Jones him soul as payment.”

“We’re telling this part, then,” Jack sighed.

“But thirteen years pass,” Tia Dalma explained, “an’ Jack fail to return. So Jones, him send the Kraken to devour Jack, takin’ him and the Pearl back to the depths. But if Jones learn that witty Jack cheat that fate, him wanna punish Jack even worse.”

“So let’s make sure he doesn’t figure that out about ‘witty Jack,’ shall we?” Jack urged.

“An’ Jack’s friends, too,” Tia Dalma added, leaning over Sora.

“Wah!” Sora recoiled.

“Though him probably spare you.” She turned back to Aqua. “You be no friend of Jack. An’ he always was drawn to the women be tied to the waters.”

“I’m NOT letting that happen,” Aqua seethed. “He sounds even worse than Jack is.”

“By what metric is the measure?” Tia Dalma asked. “Would ye not want bad to devour bad, just so there be less that be bad? That be fitting your idea of Light, be it not?”

“I…um…” Aqua swallowed hard. Then she found her resolve; “No. Wrongs can only be fixed by rights.”

“Then tell me, chile. Have you been doin’ right? Or have you been doin’ what they tell ye?”

Aqua was suddenly at a loss for words.

“Let the Kraken have a crack,” Sora said casually. “Aqua and I can take it.”

“Then perhaps let it have a crack when I’m not aboard your vessel,” Jack urged.

“Not scared at all?” Tia Dalma smiled. “That be rare. Most men, them run for land at the mention of the Kraken. Not you. Now, Jack…”

“Isn’t scared either,” Jack said swiftly.

“But he want to be free of his debt to Davy Jones,” Tia Dalma explained. “That’s why him need the box.”

“What box?” Aqua asked.

“It be a chest,” Tia Dalma explained. “Where Davy Jones lock away the part of him that hurt. The pain it cause him was too much to live with…but not enough to cause him to die.”

“Did he have no friends to help him through his pain?” Aqua asked.

“Why would he?” Tia Dalma replied. “After all, he was Darkness. You tink Darkness deserves no friends. That once ye go astray, ye stay tossed about on the tides, never to find shore.”

Aqua was struck silent again, unsure how this woman was so easily able to cut to the quick. Did she know things about Aqua that she shouldn’t have been able to know from a glance?

“What part of him caused the pain?” Sora asked.

Tia Dalma smirked, placing a hand on her chest. “Him heart.”

“He gave up his own heart - !” Aqua gasped.

“’Tis what ye do,” Tia Dalma told her, “when the ones ye love abandon ye, leave ye waitin’, cast ye out. Take care ye don’t put someone else’s heart into that box.”

“When the ones you love…abandon you,” Aqua repeated.

Thinking of that day in the Keyblade Graveyard. “How does that honor our Master’s memory?” she had asked Terra. Then told him, “You’ll go astray again.”

“Terra,” she whispered under her breath. “Did you lose your way…”

The memory of when he’d stormed away from her at the power generator in Radiant Garden.

“…because I abandoned you?”

“SORA!” Donald and Goofy’s voices chorused from the deck, causing Sora, Jack, Tia Dalma, and Aqua to look first down at them, then to the horizon where they pointed.

An immense ship was making its way toward the Pearl from a perpendicular direction. A host of Vaporflies shot forth from its bow, speeding at the Pearl.

“HEARTLESS!” Sora cried, leaping down to the deck and bracing himself for battle. Aqua followed, taking her own defensive pose.

Tia Dalma watched and smiled.

A screeching cry from above alerted them to the presence of the Raging Vulture. It shot twin blasts of energy down toward the Pearl, causing Gibbs to cry, “LOOK OUT!”

The ammunition impacted the water, causing the Pearl to sway. All aboard stumbled and cried out.

“Barbossa!” Jack yelled across the deck. “Have you allied with those fiends again?”

“Don’t impugn me honor,” Barbossa growled back. “Why would I conspire with them?”

“Because you’ve conspired with them once already,” Jack told him.

“COULD YOU DISCUSS IT LATER?” Elizabeth yelled at them.

A sudden voice, soft and breathy, in Aqua’s ear: “Do Captain Barbossa get no second chance? After all…the boy of the earth, him get no second chance.”

Aqua gasped.

Tia Dalma left her a smirk as she strode away.

“GET READY!” Will yelled, bracing for battle.

As the Raging Vulture passed high overhead, Goofy gave a “Hmm,” using his hand to block the sun’s rays from his eyes. “I sure do wish we could get a little closer,” he mused.

“What?” Donald cried. “Walk on air? We can’t do that!”

“Oh – “ Aqua’s attention was caught by the Vaporflies, which left trails of colored smoke in the air. She broke into a smile. “Yes, you can,” she encouraged. “Just watch the Master!”

She deftly ran to the railing, using a cannon as a jumping-off point to skid on a blue, smoggy trail.

“Let’s go!” Sora followed, riding up a smoke line of his own. It culminated at the Vaporfly; he leapt onto its back.

Beside him, Aqua rode another. “You ready, Sora?” she asked.

“Born ready!” Sora cried back.

* * *

_The Air Skirmish is largely the same. The Black Pearl has a damage meter that you cannot let fill. Ride the Vaporfly to chase down and attack the Raging Vulture. However, you will have Aqua flying alongside you on a Vaporfly of her own that she will use to stave off other Vaporflies. She will not attack the Raging Vulture; you have to do that on your own. She can also take damage from the Vaporflies, just like in a normal battle. If she passes out from low HP, it will take a moment for her to revive._

_Finish off the Raging Vulture to end the battle and return to the Black Pearl._

* * *

The enemy ship passed behind a nearby island and suddenly was no longer visible.

“Wak?” Donald looked this way and that. “Where’d they go?”

“I’m not about to take it for granted,” Elizabeth sighed. “All the same, keep an eye out.”

Aqua and Sora rode the vaporizing trails of color down to jump onto the deck together, after which they leapt into the air to slap a high-five with each other.

“Well done, you two!” Elizabeth cheered. “The Pearl’s in good hands with you aboard!”

Across the deck, Tia Dalma turned away, grinning and muttering to herself: “They be the ones after all…”

“Right!” Jack made his way down onto the deck. “Shall we proceed as before, then? Can’t exactly go anywhere without a helmsman.”

“Oh, yeah!” Sora sprinted back up to the helm. From there, he saluted; “Just give me the direction and we’ll go!”

“Take us starboard ten degrees!” Jack called up to him.

“Aye-aye!” Sora replied, turning the wheel.

* * *

_Here is where you get free reign to explore the Caribbean Sea with the Black Pearl rather than the Leviathan. The ocean area is much smaller than canon’s; you can stop at some islands to hunt for treasure, but there isn’t as expansive of a map with so little to do. Heartless ships may appear as you explore, but again, there’s no leveling curve and all will be equally easy/difficult to defeat. The location of the Brethren Court will be marked on your map. When you’re ready to progress the plot, go ahead and sail to that marking._

* * *

The mists began to thicken for no good reason. At the helm, Sora and Jack looked about, perplexed.

“Conditions aren’t right for fog…” Jack muttered.

“What’s happening?” Will asked.

“Hopefully just a spot of bad weather,” Elizabeth replied.

A massive shadow fell over the Pearl’s deck, and Donald gasped; “IT’S THAT ENEMY SHIP FROM EARLIER!”

True to his words, the ship that had beleaguered them with Heartless had pulled right up to the Pearl’s side, its tall masts looming even above those of the Pearl.

“Hey, look!” Goofy pointed at the deck. “I think I see a sailor!”

“A pirate?” Aqua asked.

“When will ye let it go, lass?” Barbossa sighed.

The figure in the fog wore a coat of midnight-black, with a hood pulled up over his head. “Now, why’s that look so familiar?” Goofy mused.

“Because it’s the Organization, ya nitwit!” Donald yelled.

The Organization member reached up to pull his hood back, letting it drape over his shoulders as the sea breeze hit his face. Then he turned to give Sora in particular a pointed look.

As Sora recognized Luxord, he cried out, “IT’S HIM!”

“Isn’t that the fellow who cursed me to an existence as the shambling undead on our first go?” Jack recalled.

“The same one,” Sora confirmed.

Luxord reached out a hand, pointing to Jack and declaring, “PARLEY!”

“What’s parley?” Aqua asked.

“Pirate’s Code,” Barbossa told her. “A declaration that we have to hear him out.”

“And if we don’t want to hear him out?” Aqua retorted.

“The Code is really more like a set of guidelines than rules,” Barbossa told her. Then he bellowed, “FULL SAIL!”

Before the Pearl could get away, Luxord had utilized a Corridor to board it, his own ship remaining at anchor.

“I believe I said ‘parley,’” he said with a smug smirk.

“All right.” Jack stomped up to him, arms folded. “What is it you want this time? More cursed gold? My suffering?”

“Of all things!” Sora yelled, following Jack onto the deck. “Why did it have to be YOU?”

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Luxord replied. “Never count your cards until they’ve all been dealt.”

“Sora, who is this man?” Will asked.

“Bad news,” Sora replied. “Don’t anyone give this creep the time of day.”

“Come now,” Luxord urged. “Are you really so unsophisticated that you’d decline a gentlemanly conversation?”

“What’d you call me?” Sora growled, bracing for battle.

“Normally, the Code states that you mustn’t strike a pirate aboard ship when said pirate offers to confabulate,” Jack began. “However, in your case – “

“In your case,” Aqua butted in, sliding between Jack and Luxord, “we’re going to follow the Code. That’s how it works out here, isn’t it?”

“Miss,” Jack told her, “you’re far out of your home waters. You think this man is going to simply turn about and sail on home because we asked nicely?”

“No,” Aqua replied, “but I think we should give him a chance to speak. What use is a code that doesn’t act as governing rules? If we don’t follow it, then he has an excuse to do the same.”

“And I do intend to abide by the Code,” Luxord assured. “How could I adore games and contests without honoring the rules? After all, only by winning fairly does victory have any savor at all.”

“Very well, then,” Jack grumbled. “As the Code says. Speak your piece.”

“Hm.” Luxord smirked oh-so-slightly. “I am looking for a box. A chest, perhaps.”

Jack flinched.

“You know the one?” Luxord posed, knowing quite well that Jack knew.

“No.” Then Jack corrected himself: “Or perhaps yes. Maybe. I know of many boxes. They’re a rather common item.”

“It is the sort of box you would not wish me to trifle with,” Luxord clarified.

“Ah,” Jack realized. “THAT box.”

“I should like to propose a wager,” Luxord went on. “What say we have a little race to the shores where the Brethren Court is holding council?” He pointed in exactly that direction.

“And how, perchance, did you come by that information?” Barbossa asked.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Luxord replied. “I won’t actually board, let alone harm anyone…that is, should you win. Should you lose, then that is an entirely different matter. Whoever reaches it first is the victor. To sweeten the pot, your loss means you tell me all about that box. But your victory means I will grant you whatever it is you want.”

“What I want…” Jack looked down at his hand in his pocket, where he tilted the compass up to get a look at its needle. Still spinning.

“You do know what you want, don’t you?” Luxord posed. “I think I know what it is you want. Would you like to hear it?”

“…Perhaps,” Jack replied.

“Then win the race,” Luxord told him.

“And if we back down?” Aqua asked.

“Then you’ll be rid of all those nasty pirates that cause you so much pain,” Luxord told her.

“Ye can’t hope to stand against the Brethren Court on yer own,” Barbossa accused.

“Can’t I?” Luxord replied. “I suppose that’s another gamble you’re taking.”

They all thought it over. Jack, thinking of his spinning compass. Aqua, of the people who would be eliminated if Luxord got his way. As one, the two said, “We’ll take your bet.” They then looked at each other in disgust.

“Then we have an accord,” Luxord declared.

With that, he used a Corridor to whisk himself from the Pearl to the helm of his own ship. “Now,” he declared, “let us begin!”

“All hands prepare to make sail!” Jack cried, and the crew dispersed hurriedly.

“There’s no way we can lose!” Sora proclaimed. “We have a whole crew and he’s just one guy!”

“Don’t be too sure,” Barbossa told him. “A man like that’s got an ace up his sleeve. You wouldn’t want to play cards at his table.”

“Yeah, that goes double for him and cards,” Sora sighed. “Still, I got a feeling we can make it!”

* * *

_Race Luxord to the Brethren Court! This is the same race as the one to Port Royal, just with a different end destination. You still have to fend off Heartless ships and steer around rocks while outpacing Luxord’s ship. Get the Pearl across the finish line first to proceed._

* * *

“Lookouts, report!” Jack and Barbossa said at the same time. Then they glared at one another.

“I’ll remind ye I was captain sailing in on yer rescue mission,” Barbossa growled.

“And I’ll remind ye that was on your ship,” Jack retorted. “We are now aboard mine.”

“Is she yours, now?” Barbossa retorted.

“I don’t see you having offered up your soul for her,” Jack sneered.

“Starboard side, all clear!” Goofy called out.

“Port, too!” Donald added.

“Knew we had this one in the bag!” Sora yelled triumphantly.

The mists returned, and three ships faded into view, directly across from the Pearl: Luxord’s vessel flanked by two Heartless vessels.

At the bow of his ship, Luxord muttered smugly, “The game isn’t over until it’s over.”

He pointed dramatically at the Pearl; “FIRE!”

Cannons ejected red-hot iron spheres toward the black-sailed ship. They impacted the water around, causing the Pearl to rock violently.

“THEY’RE CLOSING IN!” Jack cried.

“COME ABOUT!” Barbossa yelled.

“MAKE READY TO RETURN FIRE!” Jack added.

“This was NOT in the rules!” Aqua growled.

“At least they all three agree on SOMETHING,” Donald sighed.

“Aye-aye!” Sora called out, spinning the wheel.

* * *

_Battle Luxord’s ship and its Heartless minions! Once you’ve defeated it, then you can board Luxord’s ship._

_Luxord:_ Ah! Another game it is, then!

_However, he doesn’t summon Heartless. You get to battle Luxord himself, with roughly the same moveset as he has in KHII but without a time gauge._

_Jack:_ I will remind you, Sora, he has NOT offered to confabulate!

 _Sora:_ Then it’s fair game!

 _Donald:_ More like an unfair game!

_Defeat Luxord to progress._

* * *

The battered Luxord disappeared in wisps of Darkness.

“Did we…?” Sora wondered out loud.

“No great loss, if you ask me,” Jack remarked.

“Um…no comment,” Aqua ventured.

But as it turned out, Luxord had not been well and truly vanquished; the Darkness deposited him, perfectly healthy, in front of the others as he slowly applauded their moxie.

“Magnificent!” he congratulated. “I salute you all, gentlemen and lady.” He spread his arms wide.

“You’re up to something,” Sora accused.

“ADMIT IT!” Donald demanded.

“Perish the thought!” Luxord gasped. “I know when I’ve been outdone.”

“You were outdone before you even started, mate,” Jack informed him. “But I admire your conciliatory way of conceding defeat.”

“Now hold up your end of the wager,” Aqua demanded. “You need to give Jack what it is he wants.”

“I do owe you a prize, don’t I?” Luxord realized – or acted like he did.

“You want me to want what I want,” Jack reminded him. “And I most certainly want you to want that.”

“What you want,” Luxord told him, “is peace of mind. The thought that this – “ He gestured around him. “Will all be over and leave you to chasing your own dreams. But that can’t happen, can it? Not without my help.”

“You’re saying you can bring me the chest aboard the Flying Dutchman so I can end it all now?” Jack replied.

“NO, JACK!” Goofy cried. “DON’T TELL HIM!”

“Really?” Luxord raised a brow.

“That wasn’t good, was it?” Jack realized – or acted like he did. “Well…I didn’t tell him WHICH Dutchman.”

“You tricked us!” Aqua growled, summoning her Keyblade.

“Actually, I outwitted you,” Luxord corrected.

“You said you’d play by the rules!” Aqua seethed through gritted teeth.

“And have I lied?” Luxord asked. “That information was volunteered of Jack’s own free will. You won and provided me with what I wanted to know exactly per the terms of our wager. Of course, if you no longer want the chest, I would be more than happy to remove that burden from you.”

“How can you do this?” Aqua yelled at him.

“If you’re so worked up,” Luxord asked her, “I’d perhaps reconsider what you think rules are in place for and when they’re meant to be broken. It could’ve saved you some trouble.”

“But, uhh…why challenge us to the whole race if it didn’t matter if we won or lost?” Goofy asked.

“Can I not enjoy myself?” Luxord replied. “Besides, I’ve always been far more interested in the long game. Now, let’s see where it takes us. That is, if you stay apace.” He walked backward into the Darkness that swallowed him whole.

“Pity,” Jack remarked. “Now he’s off to take the heart of Davy Jones into his hands, where it won’t be anywhere near Lord Beckett and he’ll be forced to stay out of the Brethren Court’s hair until they’ve concluded their assemblage. Due to my loose lips.”

“Wait a minute!” Sora realized. “You sent him to do that on purpose!”

“To save the Brethren Court?” Aqua realized. She gave him a soft smile; “Maybe you are a good – “

“DON’T you say it!” Jack pointed to her. “I won’t have you going around spreading rumors that I’m a bleeding-heart savior of the innocent! He attacks the Brethren Court, we’ve no meeting to attend, Beckett and Jones don’t get halted, I don’t get to voyage the seas. It’s a very selfish act when you cut to the quick.”

“All right,” Aqua relented. “You’re incredibly selfish. And that coincidentally happened to help us out.”

“Now, that’s a more accurate assessment,” Jack told her. “Shall we get on with this so that my efforts weren’t wasted, then?”

“Let’s get back to the Pearl,” Sora agreed. “Almost home free!”

* * *

_You find the Pearl in front of a rock wall with a cavern entrance in it that is large enough to admit it. Steer the ship to this entrance, then through it to enter Shipwreck Cove, where you will see the fortress of scrapped ships looming ahead._

_Sora:_ Wow! It’s beautiful!

 _Goofy:_ Kinda scary, too…

_Once you bring the Black Pearl to the dock and disembark with a reaction command, the next segment begins. Also, once you hit the docks on Shipwreck Cove, I’m going to go ahead and say the field theme changes to “Nights of the Cursed” from KHII. It will revert to canon once you leave._

* * *

The fortress, made of the bones of a hundred shipwrecks and more, towered to the sky, bright lamplights studding it and standing against the dark night that clothed it.

“Wowwwww,” Sora gasped, walking along the docks with his head turned upward to see the tip. “This is so cool!”

“Welcome to Shipwreck Cove,” Jack told him. “Now, we pirates may not be very creative in our naming conventions, but we generally are savvy decorators.”

“Are you sure this is safe?” Aqua asked.

“O’course it ain’t safe,” Barbossa told her. “Why? Ye lookin’ for someplace that’ll go easy on ye?”

Aqua shook her head. “No, I can handle whatever’s in there.”

“And so can we!” Donald insisted.

“Then let’s not delay any longer,” Barbossa encouraged.

* * *

_Your party will still remain the same; Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, and Tia Dalma will return for cutscenes._

_The dock rings Shipwreck until it leads to an entryway. Proceed inside._

* * *

A pair of burly guards blocked the way forward in the atrium.

One put up a hand; “Leave your weapons!”

“Uhhh…” Sora scratched the back of his head. “I sorta…can’t…leave my weapon?”

“We need ours,” Aqua said, stepping in. “In case of an emergency.”

“And what constitutes an emergency?” the second guard asked.

Suddenly, all around them and between them, there appeared a horde of Spear Lizards. The two guards panicked, rushing to either side of the room.

“Let’s get ‘em!” Sora yelled.

* * *

_Defeat the Spear Lizard mob._

* * *

“All right,” the first guard declared, “you can keep your weapons. All of ye.”

“Thank ye kindly,” Barbossa said with a nod as he proceeded forward. “Step lightly!”

* * *

_There are a few more rooms and halls to explore here; Spear Lizard encounters will manifest in some of them. At the end of the map, you will reach the door to the Council Room._

* * *

The Council Room was a little more cramped-looking than expected, with glimmering chandeliers, the only light in the dark room, looming low over the long table. At that table were seated quite the assortment of pirates: Mistress Ching, Sri Sumbhajee Angria, Gentleman Jocard, Ammand the Corsair, Eduardo Villaneuva, and Capitaine Chevalle. Behind them all, in a thronelike seat of his very own, sat an elderly man who bore a striking resemblance to Jack Sparrow.

“That must be Cap’n Teague!” Goofy realized. “Jack’s dad!”

“Heyyyy!” Donald’s gaze flicked to the sword and pistol at Teague’s belt. “Why didn’t they take away his weapons?”

“It’s not a good sign for us,” Aqua said softly. “We need to be careful.”

“Captain Barbossa,” Teague grunted, nodding as the Pirate Lord entered the room. “And Jackie. That puts us one short.”

“I stand in for Sao Feng,” Elizabeth Swann piped up. “He has named me his successor.”

“What the – “ Sora whirled on her; “You’re a Pirate Lord? WHAT ELSE DID I MISS WHILE I WAS GONE THAT NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT?”

“And who are these…” Teague waved in the general direction of Sora, Aqua, Donald, and Goofy.

“They be witnesses from our crew,” Barbossa stated. “Surely you’ll allow them to attend, provided they cause no trouble.”

The Pirate Lords murmured amongst themselves, but eventually all nodded.

“They can stay,” Teague relented, “long as they keep to themselves.”

Sora stood up tall and saluted. Donald and Goofy then copied him. Aqua simply regarded Teague with worry.

“We’ve come today to discuss the future of piracy,” Barbossa began, pacing about the room as he did so. “We be aware of the comin’ threat an’ what it means.”

“It means we’ve got no choice but to take refuge here in Shipwreck,” Teague replied. “’Tis the only place we can be assured of our safety.”

“You wanna just HIDE AWAY?” Sora cried.

“Sora!” Aqua hissed, elbowing him. “Keep to yourself!”

“Sorry,” Sora squeaked.

“I present ye another option,” Barbossa went on. “At one time, the seas were ruled not by Davy Jones, but by his lover who spurned him: the goddess Calypso. You will all recall when the Brethren Court first came together and pooled the Nine Pieces of Eight to imprison her within her own bones in human form.”

The others murmured again, then nodded.

“Then surely you’ll recognize her.” Barbossa stepped aside to gesture to Tia Dalma.

A horrified gasp went up among the Pirate Lords.

“Tia Dalma is Calypso?” Donald put together.

“That’s a plot twist!” Goofy remarked.

“Davy Jones be the only reason I be trapped within yer enchantment,” Tia Dalma stated. “I come to reclaim what be rightfully mine. Undo what was done by his lies so the sea may belong to ye once more.”

“She can’t be trusted,” Teague shut down. “None will contribute a Piece of Eight to free her. ‘Twould be a harsher sea than that of Beckett.”

The Pirate Lords muttered and nodded their agreement.

“Them all be the same, at day’s end,” Tia Dalma sighed, and Aqua gave her a glance of sympathy.

“There’s more we can do,” Elizabeth piped up. “We can fight Beckett and win back our waters. If we stand together, we can overpower him at sea!”

“With the Kraken at his beck and call?” Teague mocked. “No chance, lass.”

“Then you’re going to hole yourself up like cowards?” Elizabeth asked. “Is that it?”

“We are to survive,” Teague reiterated.

“I can’t believe you!” Elizabeth cried.

“I dunno.” Sora leaned over to whisper to Aqua. “I like the idea that we fight back.”

“And now that I know who Calypso really is,” Aqua replied, “I’m not so sure she should stay locked up in a human body. No goddess would want that.”

“Jack Sparrow,” Barbossa said, looking over to his fellow Pirate Lord. “Have ye anythin’ to say in the matter? Knowin’ yer penchant for cowardice, I can only imagine ye do.”

“Well – “ Jack began.

But he was interrupted; a pair of Anchor Raiders materialized over the council table.

As the Pirate Lords gasped, Goofy cried out, “WE’LL GET ‘EM!” and leapt onto the table, Donald following suit.

“C’mon!” Sora drew his Keyblade, then assured Aqua had materialized hers. “Let’s go!”

* * *

_Fight the Anchor Raiders briefly. This is a scripted fight; you will barely get to whittle them down before the next cutscene interrupts._

* * *

Suddenly, the Anchor Raiders both let their weapons fly in synchrony. Each’s pendulum pierced directly into the chest of the other, and both vanished, a pair of glimmering hearts ascending.

“Mm?” Jack raised a brow.

“Phew!” Sora mopped his brow. “Glad they took care of that one for us!”

“Those Heartless,” Donald remarked. “They’ll destroy anything, even each other!”

“And is that not the way?” Jack broke in loudly, catching the attention of all in the room. “You kennel a bunch of blackhearts in the same room, they’ll be at each other’s throats in no time. Us, safe here? With one another? I give it a week before our number will be whittled to half. Us and them, we aren’t so different, and it was to my understanding we were proud of that.”

This garnered a new set of murmurs.

“You want to survive,” Jack went on, “you’d best pick an altogether different route to do so. Miss Swann’s idea of arming ourselves against the Royal Navy suddenly doesn’t sound so repulsive, does it?”

“Ye forget, Jackie,” Teague told him. “An act of war can only be declared by the Pirate King. And we ain’t had a king in years.”

“Why not?” Sora asked.

“Because, lad,” Barbossa told him, “the Pirate King is named by popular vote. And each Pirate Lord always votes themself, resultin’ in a nine-way tie.”

“Why not bring it to the vote once more?” Jack asked. “See what changes?”

“All right,” Barbossa spoke up. “I hereby vote for…Hector Barbossa.”

“And I vote for Elizabeth Swann!” Elizabeth broke in.

“And I vote…” Jack paused. “Elizabeth Swann, as well.”

A chorus of gasps.

“Now wait a blighted minute!” Barbossa snapped.

Teague rose; “This isn’t the time for your tricks.”

“What tricks?” Jack asked. “I voted! That’s what we said we’d do!”

“And I ain’t about to let the lass declare war on my grounds,” Teague growled.

“Why not?” Aqua stepped forth to face him. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Aye,” Teague replied. “I’ll stop this nonsense with my own hand, if need be.”

“Then I’ll fight you for it,” Aqua told him.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all gasped dramatically; “WHAT?”

“I said I’ll fight you,” Aqua repeated. “If I win, Elizabeth is king and no one questions what she says. If you win, then you can take it back.”

Teague smirked; “Ye’d best be sure what yer gettin’ into.”

Aqua brought her Keyblade to hand; “Believe me, I am.”

* * *

_Now you get to play as Aqua to battle Captain Teague! (While I am aware he is retired and not much of a fighter in canon, I figured this would be more fun than fighting Capitaine Chevalle.) The fight takes place on the table of the Council Room. Teague uses hard-hitting sword attacks as well as bombs for long ranges. His pistol can fire rounds of projectiles that either ricochet haphazardly around the field or track Aqua wherever she moves, but these can be blocked to repel them back onto him. Just take care that he isn’t hitting you with a sword attack while you’re busy with that! While Teague isn’t the flashiest boss, he is sturdy enough that it will take you at least enough time to build up two Spellweavers before you finish him off._

* * *

Teague stumbled back into his chair, breathing raggedly.

“…I surrender, lass,” he panted. “Have yer way.”

Aqua nodded to Elizabeth; “Floor is yours.”

Elizabeth raised her blade high; “THEN WE SHALL GO TO WAR!”

The other Pirate Lords raised their own swords, giving a rally cry, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined them. Barbossa and Tia Dalma, however, seemed preoccupied with sneaking back out the way they’d come.

Aqua, the only one who’d noticed, took advantage of the commotion to follow them.

* * *

At the edge of the Shipwreck Fortress docks, Barbossa and Tia Dalma conspired.

“I ain’t givin’ up yet,” Barbossa insisted. “All we need is to ferret away the Nine Pieces of Eight from the Court. One’s accounted for.” He held out a hand, upon which rolled what looked like someone’s glass eye. “The others…well, we are pirates, are we not?”

“Or there’s another way.”

Barbossa flinched, turning to face Aqua. “You’ve no business here,” he told her.

“Let the chile speak,” Tia Dalma overrode. “She do have business here, far as I can see.”

“You’re the goddess Calypso,” Aqua reiterated. “That’s how you know so much about me. About Terra.”

“Aye.” Tia Dalma – Calypso – smirked, rocking back and forth. “The boy of earth, ye miss him dearly, don’t ye? As ye do the boy of wind. A crew of three, ye be. But them lost to eternal sleep…’less their Master can wake them.”

“And I will,” Aqua insisted. “But right now, I’m more concerned with you.”

“With me?” Calypso grinned smugly.

“You’re trying to reunite the Nine Pieces of Eight in order to restore your form as a goddess, right?” Aqua guessed. “That’s why Barbossa wants to steal them all.”

“And I’d appreciate if ye held yer tongue about it,” Barbossa grunted.

“I don’t see why I have to tell anyone,” Aqua told him, “so long as it never happens. I think I have an easier solution.”

Calypso’s grin widened. “Do tell.”

“You talked about a key that travels between worlds.” Aqua summoned her blade in a glimmer. “I think…you meant a key like this. The Keyblade.”

“A tool of weird and ancient power,” Calypso confirmed.

“I want to free you,” Aqua stated.

“And why would ye want that?” Barbossa asked. “As ye may recall, the Brethren Court ignored me suggestion fer this. They’ve agreed not to touch it. ‘Tis the law.”

“I know,” Aqua sighed. “And I know I’ve been talking about how much the rules and the law are important, and this goes against that. But thinking about what you must’ve gone through, Calypso? It just doesn’t feel right. This time, I’m thinking for myself about what I want to happen. And I want you to be free.”

“Do ye now?” Calypso asked. “Quite big-hearted of ye. Perhaps ye are no chile. A woman of the seas.”

“Will you let me?” Aqua inquired.

“As ye please.” Calypso stepped back, putting out her arms.

Aqua swallowed hard, raising her Keyblade and pointing it at Calypso. A soft light emitted from it, surrounding the bound goddess.

And soon, that light had grown to an immense shine that swallowed everything in sight.

* * *

_You regain control as Sora in the Council Room. Aqua is missing from your party. Make your way back through Shipwreck Fortress until you reach the docks._

* * *

The dawn broke over the ocean, casting the fortress in soft pink. Aqua looked at the cavern wall that divided Shipwreck Cove from the rest of the ocean as the sea breeze tousled her hair.

“And what were you doing all the way out here?” Jack asked.

“Hm?” Aqua turned to look back at her companions. “Oh, it was just…personal.”

“The final battle against Lord Beckett and Davy Jones begins now,” Sora told her. “Are you ready?”

“I’m not sure I am!” Goofy said with a shudder.

“You’ll be fine!” Donald scolded.

“I’m ready,” Aqua said firmly.

“To defend piracy?” Jack questioned. “You know, that nasty little livelihood in which all we ever do is pillage and plunder?”

“To defend you from being hurt by someone even worse,” Aqua told him. “I can tell you’re all close to the Dark. But I can also tell that you’re all people. People who deserve better than to just be cut down. And the open water needs to be free.”

“Well, then,” Jack told her, rather flabbergasted, “let’s be off.”

* * *

_You’ll board the Black Pearl once more, then sail to a new destination on the map to trigger the next cutscene. There will be a short mandatory fight against some Heartless ships before you can end the voyage._

* * *

The Pearl was left moored near a sandbar: the location Beckett and Jones had chosen to exchange words. Sora, Aqua, Donald, and Goofy leaned over the edge of the deck to watch as Barbossa, Elizabeth, Will, and Jack approached the villains of the hour.

One of them was surprisingly ordinary-looking. They assumed he was Lord Beckett; he wore a long coat over a naval uniform, a tricorn hat over a powdered wig. The other was less ordinary-looking. Davy Jones was clothed in tatters, but more strikingly, he bore green skin, octopus tentacles sprouting from his chin and his hands curled into tentacle and claw. He stood in a bucket of water, which Sora understood was his way of being able to step on “dry land” (which a sandbar wasn’t really even).

“Ugh,” Sora remarked. “Gross.”

“Sora,” Aqua chided, “don’t judge a person on their appearance.”

“Sorry!” Sora said quickly.

“But what he’s doing to our friends?” Aqua went on. “That’s gross.”

“You said it,” Donald agreed.

“You made a deal with me, Jack,” Beckett began. “To deliver the pirates in exchange for your own safety. And here they are in spades. Don’t be bashful. Step up. Claim your reward.”

Jack’s upper lip curled; “And why do I get the feeling it’s not so simple as all that?”

“Sparrow,” Davy Jones growled, “yer debt to me is still to be satisfied. One hundred years in servitude aboard the Dutchman.”

“And there’s the fine print,” Jack muttered.

“I promised survival,” Beckett told him. “Aboard the Dutchman, you will be quite alive, and moreso than you would’ve been otherwise.”

“Now, that debt was paid,” Jack argued.

“You escaped,” Jones seethed.

“Then by all means,” Elizabeth suggested. “Take him.”

Jack flinched.

“What is she doing?” Donald asked.

“I think she has a plan,” Aqua muttered.

“Done,” Beckett agreed.

“Undone!” Jack argued.

“Jack’s one of the nine Pirate Lords,” Barbossa seethed. “You have no right.”

“King,” Elizabeth reminded him. She then fired a meaningful look at Jack.

He forced a smile, removing his hat to make a small bow; “As you command, your nibs.”

“Now,” Beckett urged, and Jack strutted his way to the enemy’s side, where Beckett guided him to Jones. As Jones hissed in his ear, Jack sneered.

Beckett strode toward Elizabeth. “This is your last warning,” he told her. “Advise your Brethren. You can fight, and all of you will die. Or you can not fight, in which case only most of you will die.”

Elizabeth strode to meet him in return, holding his stare. “We will fight,” she insisted. “And you will die.”

“You tell him!” Donald cheered.

Elizabeth turned on a heel, leading Will and Barbossa back to the ship.

Once the trio had ascended, Sora moaned, “What was thaaaaat?”

“Payback for a few things, for one,” Elizabeth told him. “For another, strategy.”

“We knew ya had a plan!” Goofy cried.

“RAISE ANCHOR!” Elizabeth cried. “WE FIGHT!”

* * *

As the two navies approached each other – the Black Pearl leading the pirates and Beckett’s ship leading the military – the skies above began to darken into a sick green color.

“That ain’t no normal storm,” Barbossa commented.

“It’s probably Calypso,” Aqua realized.

“Calypso?” Goofy repeated. “I thought she was Tia Dalma!”

“You knowwww…” Donald’s eyes narrowed. “I haven’t seen her in a while…”

“Yes.” Aqua sighed. “Because I freed her.”

“You did WHAT?” Sora cried. “But that’s not what the Brethren Court agreed on!”

“I know,” Aqua told him, shutting her eyes and casting her face downward. “It wasn’t what anyone would’ve wanted me to do. Not the pirates, not the Royal Navy, no one. But I did it because I couldn’t stand to think of her trapped in that form, unable to be who she really was because everyone wanted to watch and control her. I did it because I think it was the right thing to do.”

“You went behind our backs and unleashed a goddess?” Sora reiterated. “Do you know what Jack Sparrow would say if he were here?”

“That he’d wished I would’ve stayed with the path we agreed on,” she sighed. “The one he proposed and I fought for.”

“No.” Sora grinned. “He’d say…” He did his best to mimic Jack’s British accent. “‘That’s very pirate of you, miss.’ And he wouldn’t be mad. I think he’d be proud of you. I know I am.”

“Ya gotta follow yer heart!” Goofy insisted. “An’ I’m sure Calypso’s grateful!”

“Not so grateful that she isn’t causing a huge storm to get in our way!” Donald stamped his foot.

“Then we’ll just have to be strong enough to weather it.” Aqua opened her eyes. “And I know we all are.”

“Just be careful,” Sora reminded her. “That guy from the Organization might not have gotten to the chest yet, meaning he plans to swipe it in the heat of battle.”

“As if we didn’t have enough to worry about!” Donald groaned.

“But we always make it through this kinda thing okay, don’t we?” Goofy recalled.

“Not always,” Aqua realized.

“Then I’ll change that for you,” Sora promised. “Stick with me, and there’ll be a happy ending. I promise.”

A cry of “LISTEN!” drew their attention. Elizabeth was standing on the railing, addressing the crew.

“The Brethren will be looking here to us, to the Black Pearl, to lead!” Elizabeth cried. “And they will see free people and freedom! Our enemy will see the flash of our cannons and hear the ring of our swords, and they will see the courage of our hearts as we succeed and they fail! Gentlemen…hoist the colors!”

“HOIST THE COLORS!” Will repeated.

“HOIST THE COLORS!” Sora agreed.

A great cheer went up, including a “HOORAY!” from Goofy, an “OH BOY!” from Donald, and a “YEAH!” from Aqua.

Overhead, the clouds began to circle up, a spinning spiral visible at their edges. Rain poured down in a gentle deluge that swiftly picked up speed.

The two fleets sailed on. At the helm of the Dutchman, Davy Jones glared over to the Pearl. And Elizabeth glared right back at him, Will and Barbossa flanking her.

A thick bolt of lightning struck the waters between. And in no time, matching the clouds above, the ocean itself was spinning into a maelstrom, with the Pearl and the Dutchman on opposite sides.

With no other choice, they entered the whirlpool’s edges.

Cannons revealed themselves on both sides; shots were fired brightly against the dark of the storm. Each ship took a hit or two as they circled each other like sharks around prey.

“MAN THE HELM, SORA!” Will yelled up. “WE’RE COUNTING ON YOU!”

Sora gripped the wheel, but was distracted when a Corridor opened behind him, causing him to relinquish his hold on the wheel. Aqua quickly grabbed for it in order to right the ship.

“I KNEW you’d be here!” Sora accused.

Luxord strode across the upper deck, glaring at the enemy ship, barely visible only by its cannon fire. “So that’s the Flying Dutchman,” he murmured.

“Why would you even want the heart of Davy Jones?” Sora asked. “So you can control the sea?”

Luxord chuckled. “No one knows what’s in the chest we’re looking for,” he clarified. “Least of all Xemnas. What I do know is that his concerns are larger than controlling the ocean of this world. Perhaps this heart can be of use in other ways, and that is why we target it.”

“You don’t know what’s in it?” Sora asked. “Then why do you need it? How will you know you’ve found it?”

With a sardonic laugh, Luxord turned to face Sora. “Got me. Regrettably, this was Xemnas’ decision. As you can imagine, most of us think it less than rational. But he does believe it will provide us with an advantage during the Keyblade War: an advantage you can’t hope to best.”

“So you’re just doing what someone told you to,” Aqua realized, firing him a glance over her shoulder as she spun the wheel. “And you don’t even agree with it. Now who needs to rethink the rules?”

“I have my own reasons for pursuing this matter,” Luxord told her. “I would not play along if I did not think it advantageous to my own devices. Unlike you, I’m no mere parrot, nor a lapdog.”

“I’m not that way anymore, either,” Aqua warned. “Which means I don’t have to wait for somebody to tell me to strike you down.”

“Then do so,” Luxord urged her. “You’ll need to let go of the helm, first.”

Aqua gritted her teeth, returning her eyes to the seas ahead.

“Hmm,” Luxord mused, “it’s far too chaotic to find the box like this. Perhaps I’ll remove that ship from the picture.”

He snapped his fingers.

Enormous tentacles rose from the depths; the Kraken was larger and more fearsome than Sora could have imagined, especially in the dim lighting. It grasped Beckett’s ship, the Endeavor, firmly, hoisting it to the sky.

“That’s good, right?” Sora asked.

Then, in the distance, he saw Jack approach the railing of the Endeavor, waving frantically.

“Oh, no!” Goofy cried. “That’s the ship where they’re keepin’ Jack!”

“We gotta save it!” Donald cried.

“Now, this should afford me time to look,” Luxord remarked, disappearing entirely.

“There’s no time to think about him now!” Aqua growled, teeth clenched. “Sora, take back the helm! You’re better at steering than me! Donald, Goofy, help me man the cannons! We’re saving Jack Sparrow and taking him back!”

“Gawrsh,” Goofy remarked as Aqua and Sora swapped, “he’s gonna be happy to hear that you wanted to save him! You two’re seemin’ like friends after all!”

“I would rather not make a big deal out of this!” Aqua cried as she darted toward the stairs.

* * *

_This is the maelstrom fight where you take on the Kraken’s tentacles while sailing the ship, which is, in this case, the Black Pearl. The Flying Dutchman will be the enemy ship tailing the Pearl to give extra fire; fire back to keep it at bay. It cannot be destroyed. It will also target the Endeavor, which cannot take too much damage. The battle will end once you have the Kraken’s tentacles depleted of HP._

* * *

The Endeavor splashed back down into the water at the edge of the maelstrom, beside the Dutchman, as the Pearl fell back to near the ship of death as well.

“I’m ending this,” Aqua growled, grabbing onto a loose rope and waiting for her opportunity. When the Dutchman was close enough, she leapt, flipping twice in the air to gain the distance that landed her on the deck.

Jack had pulled a similar, if less acrobatic, move to get over from the Endeavor. “We meet again,” he sneered.

“I’m on your side,” Aqua promised. “Help me find Jones’ heart! That’s why Elizabeth traded you over, right?”

“I know where he’s keeping it!” Jack replied. “Problem was they knew I knew where he’s keeping it, henceforth the turn of events that resulted in me being imprisoned on the wrong ship.”

“Then show me,” Aqua urged, “so we can stop him!”

Together, they rushed belowdecks. Not a minute later, they returned, each hauling one side of the black box.

Directly in their path, there appeared Luxord.

“So, you got what you want,” he remarked. “Perhaps you’re the better player among us. And you…” He gave Aqua a particular smirk. “Finally willing to cheat.” He gestured to the box they held between them. “However, I must demand you give THAT to me.”

“Pardon?” Jack recoiled. “You must be mistaken, mate. I’ll not be giving you anything.”

“Heh.” Luxord shook his head. “Then I invoke the right of parl – “

“UUUHP, NOPE!” Jack leaned right up next to Luxord, getting in his face directly. “No parley!”

“But the Code,” Luxord pleaded politely.

“Haven’t you heard?” Aqua snapped. “The Code’s more like guidelines than rules.”

“Look around,” Jack insisted. “We’re a little busy. And besides, I’ve already got all that I want, mate.”

They’d backed Luxord up to the edge. Jack dealt the final blow: breathing directly into his face.

Luxord cringed at the stench. So hard, in fact, that he fell backward off the railing of the ship and into the raging waters.

“Looks like you gave him something after all,” Aqua remarked.

Jack used a hand to smell his own breath, coughing after realizing how pungent the odor was. “Still works,” he muttered.

They proceeded down the stairs. “I can destroy the chest now!” Aqua insisted.

“Not unless you want to become the captain of the Flying Dutchman for the next three thousand years or more!” Jack told her. “Did no one tell you that part?”

“WHAT?”

Then, out of the shadows, there suddenly was Jones. “Jack Sparrow,” he snarled. “Are you lost? I placed you as far from me heart as possible, depriving myself of my own revenge so you couldn’t pull anything over on me. But perhaps the only way to keep an eye on you is in the Dutchman’s own brig.”

“Don’t give up!” Aqua urged. “Stand your ground!”

But Jack had spun the chest around, nearly pulling her off her feet with a “WHOA!”

“If there ever was a moment to give up and not stand one’s ground,” Jack insisted, “it’s this!”

A sudden familiar cry of “WE’RE HERE!” alerted them: Sora, Donald, and Goofy were jumping across the decks to ride the Dutchman. They rushed protectively in front of Jack and Aqua; Sora’s blade appeared brightly.

Jack and Aqua exchanged a smug look. They set the chest down, drawing their own weapons. “Tables’ve turned, mate,” Jack told Jones.

“Hardly,” Jones retorted. “Just a few more maggots to join my crew!”

* * *

_Battle Davy Jones! This will be identical to canon save for the fact that Aqua fights alongside you. He can and will still summon the tentacles of the Kraken. Also, the command to summon the Pirate Ship Attraction Flow will come up at least once. Please take advantage of it simply because it’s hilarious to watch Davy Jones get tossed around by a giant neon pirate ship._

* * *

“HEEYAH!”

A dual strike from Aqua and Jack pushed Davy Jones back, staggering.

“Care to surrender?” Jack posed.

Jones gave a feral growl before charging Jack. He swung his blade; Jack dodged. Aqua struck out with the Keyblade; Jones ducked beneath it before taking another swing at Jack. Jack sidestepped, making a slash of his own that Jones evaded before parrying Aqua’s next blow.

“HANG ON!” Sora yelled, blade braced. “WE’RE COMING!”

“STAY OUT OF THIS!” Jones growled.

The Kraken flung its mighty appendages aboard, fencing in Sora, Donald, and Goofy as it knocked Aqua back and away. Now there was only Jack and Jones.

Next thing anyone knew, the two of them fenced atop the mast while the four off-worlders attempted to carve their way out of the Kraken’s grip. The Dutchman and the Pearl came close enough to knock together, masts connecting, and Jack lost his hold on the chest, sending it flying to the deck.

Will came hurtling across from the Pearl on a piece of stray rigging line, rushing toward the chest. He gathered it into his arms, then made to charge away with it. But the Kraken was faster, slamming a tentacle down upon him to make him release the chest.

Jack and Jones both hit the deck, and their duel continued around the wheel that Jones used to summon the Kraken. Jones simply phased through that wheel in order to close the distance.

“We gotta do something to help them!” Sora cried.

Jones backhanded Jack with his claw, sending him flying. He turned back to the chest to see Elizabeth landing before it, ready to defend it with her life.

“HARRIDAN!” Jones seethed. “You’ll see no mercy from me!”

Elizabeth unsheathed her own sword; “That’s why I brought this!” She rushed forward, taking Jack’s place.

Will peeled himself up off the deck in time to see Elizabeth knocked down to the floor. In that moment, he knew what he had to do – or thought he did.

Donald looked worriedly at the tentacles; the area around him and his companions was getting smaller. “They’re closing in!”

“Quickly!” Aqua urged. “Freeze them! We can use the ice to make a stairway out!”

She, Sora, and Donald began to hastily cast Blizzard spells, freezing first one part of the restrictive tentacles, then another and another.

Before Jones could land the killing blow on Elizabeth, Will’s sword had driven through his back. However, aside from causing him a momentary diversion, there was no effect.

“Mister. Did you forget?” Jones shot a glare over his shoulder at Will. “I’m a heartless wretch!”

A spinning kick sent Will flying. Now he and Elizabeth both were down.

Looking from one to the other, Jones smiled. “Ah…love. A dreadful bond. And yet, so easily severed.”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!”

Sora leapt down to outside the frozen ring of Kraken; Donald, Goofy, and Aqua followed him. “I know what it means to share my heart with others,” he proclaimed, a hand on his chest. “It means forgiveness! It means acceptance! It means loyalty, even in the dark times! And it will take more than you to break a bond like that.”

“Bah,” Jones scoffed. “What does a whelp like you know about the heart?”

“If you won’t listen to him,” Aqua grunted, “then take it from me. I haven’t seen the ones I love in ten years. They’ve made mistakes, and so have I, but I’m going to find them, no matter WHAT!”

“The whelp and the lass have seen far more of the world than you know,” Jack broke in, taking his place beside them.

“What of it?” Jones scoffed. He turned to Will, placing his blade against the other man; “Tell me, William Turner. Do you fear death?”

“DO YOU?” Jack cried from behind.

And Jones looked back to see Jack holding a dagger over the open chest.

High above, the two members of the Organization Sora hadn’t been aware were watching saw this turn of events play out.

“How disappointing,” Vexen sighed. “We’ve been chasing the wrong box this whole time!”

“THAT’S what they meant?” Demyx cried. “Ew. Ew. Ewewewew it’s so groooooss!”

Vexen put up a hand – not touching Demyx’s face, but in front of his eyes to obscure his vision. “If it perturbs you, then don’t look,” he grunted.

“Why does it look like that anyway?” Demyx asked. “Shouldn’t it be pink and glowy and stuff?”

“Because it is the heart of a body,” Vexen explained. “Not the heart of one’s being.”

“There’s a DIFFERENCE?”

Vexen sighed; “MUST I explain?”

After a pause, Demyx said, “I kinda get the feeling you want to. Or. Y’know. Whatever we get that isn’t feelings.”

More silence. Then Vexen admitted, “You’re right. I’m going to explain the difference in great detail, but not here.”

“Good call. We could actually die here. Don’t want that.”

A Corridor whisked them both away.

On the deck, Jack threatened, “Heady tonic, holding life and death in the palm of one’s hand!”

“Should we intervene?” Goofy asked softly.

“No!” Donald hissed. “We’ll mess up his plan!”

“You’re a cruel man, Jack Sparrow,” Jones growled.

“‘Cruel’ is a matter of perspective,” Jack replied.

“Is it?” Jones mocked.

“It is,” Aqua muttered to herself.

Jones turned. Drew his sword back.

“NO!” Sora leapt forward, and Aqua, Donald, and Goofy along with him – only for the Kraken’s massive tentacle, burst free of the Blizzard, to rope them all back.

And Davy Jones stabbed Will Turner in the chest.

Will convulsed. Davy laughed triumphantly. And Sora, watching as the Kraken whisked him away, felt the pain in his own heart.

Sheer willpower allowed him to vault over the Kraken’s tentacle, going against its momentum and using it as a springboard to leap onto Jones’ back with a feral roar. Jones struggled to shake him; by the time he had, then Donald and Goofy had attacked him from both sides. Aqua took a swing; the teeth of her blade were parried with Jones’ claw.

Jack watched as the five of them struggled in front of him. A choice had to be made. He thought he suspected the correct one, but was he right? And could he risk it?

Well, he didn’t really have the time to figure that out. Only enough time to go for it.

Sora was back on Jones’ shoulders, punching him in the back of the head. Aqua set a Firaga spell on him, which the captain stomped out with a heavy boot.

“Will! WILL!” Elizabeth shook her downed lover. “Look at me – LOOK AT ME!”

With one heave, Jones sent Donald, Goofy, and Aqua sprawling across the deck. With another, Sora hurtled to hit the wall that divided the lower and upper deck.

“YOU WILL NOT FORESTALL MY JUDGMENT!” Jones screamed.

And then he lunged.

Only to stop hard, cringing as though he’d just been stabbed in the heart. Because that was exactly what had happened.

He turned to see where Jack had folded Will’s hand around his dagger, forcing Will to stab the still-beating heart as Elizabeth held onto her lover’s body.

Coming to her senses, Aqua fired Jack a smug smile, which was how he knew for certain he’d made the right choice.

With a stagger and a sputter, Jones fell back off the deck, tumbling to the raging waves that belonged to Calypso now.

From the Pearl, Barbossa bellowed, “SHE’S TAKIN’ US DOWN! MAKE QUICK, OR IT’S THE LOCKER FOR US ALL!”

Elizabeth sobbed over Will. Sora asked, “Jack, can’t we save him?”

“Part of the ship, part of the crew,” Jack answered solemnly. “The Dutchman must have a captain.”

He approached Elizabeth, laying a soft hand on her heaving shoulder. “Elizabeth. Say goodbye.”

When she didn’t, Jack wrapped arms around her waist, forcing her away.

“NO!” Elizabeth cried as Jack dragged her across the deck. “I WON’T LEAVE YOU!”

“Elizabeth, you HAVE to!” Aqua yelled at her, following close behind. “You’re the king of the Brethren Court! They’re counting on you to make it back!”

Donald and Goofy took off, but Sora lingered, watching Will’s seemingly lifeless body.

A hand gripped his upper arm. “And everyone’s countin’ on you, too!” Goofy reminded him.

Sora let the knight guide him away.

As the Pearl broke free, the Dutchman tipped to its side, swallowed whole by the raging sea.

Above, the skies cleared immediately.

Aboard the Pearl, Gibbs rushed up to the new arrivals. “Thank goodness, Jack,” he panted. “The armada’s still out there. The Endeavour’s coming up hard to starboard, and I think it’s time we embrace that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions.”

“Never actually been one for tradition,” Jack muttered mournfully.

Still, he advanced up the steps, crying out, “HERE WE GO!”

Across the way, Beckett watched the Pearl with a thoughtful “Hm.”

The cannons of his ship opened. The paint barely chipped on the hull.

“It’s nothing personal, Jack,” Beckett muttered through a satisfied smirk. “It’s just good business.”

“Are we…?” Sora asked.

“I think we are,” Goofy said mournfully.

He reached to grasp Donald’s hand; Donald reached up to clasp Sora’s. Sora’s other hand wrapped around Aqua’s.

“Here we go,” Sora said softly.

And the armada closed in.

But Jack and Elizabeth both felt it before it happened. The waters rippled.

Then the Flying Dutchman, immense as they come, emerged from the ocean like a shield to protect the Pearl. At its helm, Captain Will Turner cried out, “READY ON THE GUNS!”

Elizabeth laughed with joy. Jack cried out, “FULL CANVAS!”

“AYE!” Barbossa agreed. “FULL CANVAS!”

Sora, Aqua, Donald, and Goofy wore expressions of the greatest glee and relief, though they still didn’t let go of each other’s hands.

Will and Barbossa pulled the helms to close in on Beckett, who was just beginning to lose his confidence.

“FIRE!” yelled Jack.

“FIRE!” yelled Gibbs.

“FIRE!” yelled Will.

“FIRE!” yelled Barbossa.

“FIRE ALL!” yelled Elizabeth.

And Sora, Aqua, Donald, and Goofy finally let go of each other’s hands to point at the Endeavor in unison, chorusing, “FIRE!”

At their command, a triple-strength Firaga surged forth from their hands at the same time that the Dutchman and the Pearl pelted the Endeavor with cannon fire.

Slowly, Beckett’s vessel came apart as he descended to the lower deck. “It’s just…good business,” he said to himself as the debris flew and cascaded around him.

Then the Endeavor capsized and his body hit the water.

Aboard the Pearl, there was much rejoicing and throwing of hats. Donald and Goofy gave each other a fist-bump. Aqua and Jack attempted to recreate the gesture, if stiffly and awkwardly and with many “Oh”s and “Eeuup”s.

Sora was more concerned with Elizabeth, who watched Will across the gap of ocean.

“The Flying Dutchman must have a captain,” Gibbs asserted as he approached Sora from behind.

“But why?” Sora asked.

“Because all things must come to an end,” Gibbs told him. “We’ve bought time before ours, just a bit longer. The Dutchman carries those less fortunate to their own ends, or at least it should with a proper captain.” He sighed. “Just wed, and now she and Cap’n Turner must live in different worlds.”

“Wed?” Sora asked, cocking his head. “When?”

“Ah, ye missed it when ye were battlin’ Jones,” Gibbs realized with a smile. “’Twas the finest ceremony I’ve ever seen. Both of ‘em locked in duels with other opponents, an’ Barbossa as the officiator.”

Will was looking back at Elizabeth from the deck of the other ship.

“One day ashore, ten years at sea,” Gibbs went on. “It’s a steep price.”

“Ten years apart is horrible,” Aqua agreed, taking her place at Sora’s other side. “But it can be done. So long as you know someone’s waiting for you at the end.”

Elizabeth, having heard that, turned to face them. “Thank you, Aqua,” she said gratefully.

“Your chariot awaits, your highness,” Gibbs teased, gesturing over to the crew at large, all of whom awaited Elizabeth’s next order.

She took her place before them. Barbossa acknowledged her with a “Mrs. Turner.”

“Elizabeth…” Donald said sorrowfully.

“Take care,” Goofy added.

She gave them a smile and a nod, then proceeded toward Jack Sparrow. “Jack.”

He met her gaze.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

Jack made no reply. As she moved on, Sora took her place.

“Will one day be enough time?” he asked.

“You know better than anyone,” Jack replied. “It only takes a moment to connect with your mates…with your hearties.”

“And I’m going to find them,” Aqua insisted, face turned upward to feel the sun. But then, as if struck by a weapon, she flinched, casting her gaze downward.

“What if they don’t want me to find them?” she asked suddenly. “This whole journey has taught me so much…but most of all, it’s taught me how unfair I was to Terra and to Ven. They needed me, and I abandoned them because of the rules and what I thought they should be doing. All they ever tried to do was the right thing. But I said Ven wasn’t good enough, and Terra…I…” A tear sparkled over her cheek.

“Hey,” Sora told her. “You thought they messed up pretty bad, didn’t you? And you’re gonna give ‘em another chance, right?”

“I will,” Aqua vowed.

“Then they’d do the same for you,” Sora assured her. “No matter what. In fact, I bet if we hadn’t found you in the Realm of Darkness, they would’ve made their way there to get you out, same way as Elizabeth and Will came to find Jack in the Locker.”

Aqua gave a start. New memories came to her. The way the pair of Keyblades had appeared, an angelic apparition, to destroy the Darksides when she’d considered giving in. Coming across both of them in the Realm of Darkness – Ven static, Terra explaining to her how he was trapped inside Xehanort’s heart.

“They already have, in their own way,” she realized.

“I think this whole time,” Sora theorized, “you’ve been afraid to follow your own heart, and you’ve been relying on the rules that others give you to show you the way. But all you have to do is ask yourself what you think is right, and go. It might not end up being the right choice in the end. It could be a mistake. But if it came from your heart, it won’t be wasted.”

“Find my own path,” Aqua realized, giving a glance over to Jack. He had the compass back out again, watching it spin.

“It tells you where you think you should go, right?” Aqua strode to him. “But it’s been spinning ever since the Locker.”

“Aye,” Jack affirmed. “Couldn’t keep up the charade for much longer. I am a man quite lost at sea in all respects.”

“It’s okay not to know,” Aqua told him. “And it’s okay not to listen to something like a compass. You follow your own heart. Go where you want, and see where it takes you.”

“And if what I want is a life of pillaging, plundering, theft, and vandalism?” Jack asked. “Will you still encourage it then, or will you come stand in my way?”

“I’ll do what I think is right,” Aqua told him. “But I’ll never forget all the good you did for us on this adventure.”

“Yet again,” Jack sighed, “you completely fail to recognize these aforementioned ‘good deeds’ as utterly selfish acts. Everything I have done, I have done because it benefitted myself. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

“If you’re sure.” Aqua smiled mischievously. “But I have the right to think otherwise.”

“Don’t you dare, missy.”

“I won’t tell anyone you’re secretly nice.”

“AY!”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all laughed.

“It’s good to see you two finally getting along!” Donald chuckled.

“Now I highly suggest you stop pestering me,” Jack told her, waving her away, “and go find those missing friends of yours. I’m sure they miss your constant nagging.”

“Thank you for wishing me luck,” Aqua replied.

“I DID NO SUCH THING!” Jack retorted gruffly.

Aqua giggled as she removed her blue Wayfinder charm from her pocket. As she held it up to the Caribbean sky, the sunlight filtered through.

The dawn of a new day.

* * *

END TITLE CARD: THE CARIBBEAN

* * *

_At the end of this world visit, you receive the Wheel of Fate Keyblade._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join me next time when I, JCMorrigan, attempt to create an entire Disney world visit from scratch with no prior reference but the film itself!


	8. The Lost Empire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that hiatus got long once more. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through the wait. Enjoy this hypothetical of the Disney world we were most robbed of in the entire series, in my opinion.

_Now, we’ll see what happens if you choose to visit The Lost Empire._

* * *

Lea sat languidly on the edge of the Twilight Town clock tower balcony, one leg dangling over the edge and the other pulled up close to his chest. As he stared out into the perpetual sunset, he took a nibble off an ice-cream pop in his right hand. In his left rested two others.

He gave a slight start when a greeting of “Hey!” broke his reverie. Sora was walking along the balcony toward him.

“Don’t surprise a guy when he’s on the edge of a tower,” Lea teased. “You coulda put yourself down one of the Seven Lights that way.”

Sora knew he was just teasing, and the two shared a grin as Sora settled himself down to Lea’s side. Exactly how Roxas used to sit.

“This is where you and Roxas used to come all the time, isn’t it?” Sora asked, looking out to the horizon.

“Yeah,” Lea affirmed. “It was. How’d you know?”

“It feels familiar. Roxas and I did share a heart for a while, so this place…it just kinda feels right. But I bet it’ll feel a lot better once he can be here for real, too.”

Sora then glanced down to Lea’s idle hand. “So…why two ice creams?”

“Huh?”

“I’m guessing you got one for Roxas,” Sora told him. “Who’s the other for?”

“Y’know…” Lea realized he was holding one more than he really needed to. “I dunno. Maybe it’s just for luck. Sure can’t eat all three on my own, though.” He extended the spare pops toward Sora.

Sora gladly took one, putting a large bite in it. “Mmm. I keep forgetting how good these are. No wonder you kept coming back up here.”

“It might seem like a simple thing,” Lea told him. “Just coming back to the same place, eating the same food, and talking about whatever. But in the end, it’s kinda what I wanted. What I still want, really.”

“So we’ll get it back for you,” Sora promised before taking another large bite.

“Say, Sora,” Lea ventured, “y’know how you took Kairi on that adventure so she could get better at her training?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I was wondering if maybe you had room for me on that ship,” Lea suggested. “Merlin and I talked it over – “

“And he said you were ready to hit the field?” Sora cried excitedly.

“Well, uh…no…not really.” Lea gave a sheepish look and a “Heh” before continuing. “Merlin just thinks I need some more hands-on practice before I can officially graduate.”

“You’re that far behind, huh?”  
“Yyyyyep. Gonna need a bit of oomph to pass before he’ll let me out from under his wing.”

“Well, there’s an open seat if you want it,” Sora told Lea. “I think it’d be good for you. We can get going after we’re done with ice cream.”

“It’s a deal.”

They continued to eat and watch the sun set, and to Lea, it was almost like old times. Almost.

* * *

_The ship sets up at the next Gummi route._

_Lea:_ Y’know, compared to using Corridors, this is kind of a pain.

 _Sora:_ Guess it would be pretty neat to just teleport wherever we wanted.

 _Lea:_ Well, it’s not worth the price, at any rate.

_This route looks like a cavernous tunnel with blue crystals growing from its crevices. Some of the crystals will extend well into your path and you’ll have to steer around; they can’t be broken._

_At the end of your journey, a new world will come into view! Its icon will appear to be a sprawling city of white marble beneath a half-dome cavern roof; water plunges off the sides of the base and spills into a moat of lava beneath. However, the ship slows before you can get close enough to land._

_Sora:_ Wait! What’s that?

_A shape is approaching, flying off the atmosphere of the world icon itself!_

_Lea:_ Did that thing just leave the world to come find us?

 _Goofy:_ Maybe it’s friendly?

_The crustacean-shaped mega-machine opens fire upon the Gummi Ship, which evades._

_Goofy:_ Not friendly! NOT FRIENDLY!

_You regain control in time for your next Gummi battle: the Leviathan itself, right from Atlantis: The Lost Empire! It will fire bullet spray like most regular Gummi enemies. Once it’s taken down, you regain the ability to descend on the world and choose to disembark!_

* * *

Miles and miles below the ocean, in a subterranean labyrinth once thought to only have been the stuff of legend, structures of old that had fallen to disrepair leaned haphazardly around the entrance pool that connected this place to the sea.

“You ever been here for the Organization?” Sora asked as he, Donald, Goofy, and Lea tread lightly through the dark of the cavern.

“If I have, then this part of the world is new to me,” Lea informed him. “Worlds are bigger than you think, after all.”

“Y’know, it’s interesting to think about,” Sora realized. “Each world has its own history, and its own geography, and most people don’t even see a whole world over their whole lifetime, but we – “

“Quiet!” Donald hissed, pointing across the ocean pool. “Look!”

A congregation had gathered on the rocky banks, heads bowed.

“What’s goin’ on over there?” Goofy wondered aloud.

“It…almost looks like they’re mourning someone,” Sora realized.

“Let’s get closer,” Lea suggested. “But stay quiet and don’t interrupt. Standard former Organization procedure.”

A tall, well-built man with steel-gray hair knelt, placing a lit candle on the water so it would float toward the pool’s heart. As Commander Rourke rose to full height, he took a look around at those who surrounded him, then began to deliver a eulogy as the others looked on in grief.

“When we first started this expedition,” Rourke said, “we had over two hundred people.”

An even taller and more muscular man, with no hair to speak of, protectively pulled a companion close to him: a young woman with thick, dark hair, clothed in overalls.

“And now,” Rourke stated, “we’re all that’s left.”

Two friends stood side-by-side, sharing their loss without sharing a single word. One was lanky, bearing a dark mustache; the other was short and squat, bearing a distinct pair of goggles.

“We won’t let their sacrifice be in vain,” Rourke stated.

A woman with a bright golden ponytail looked on with almost a scowl of determination.

“After all,” Rourke said, “it was Thaddeus’ Thatch will that we see this mission through to the end and finish what he couldn’t in his own life: to find the lost city of Atlantis.”

A thin man, bespectacled, looked on the verge of tears, particularly after the name of Thaddeus was invoked.

“From now on,” Rourke stated, “everyone here does double duty. Everyone drives. Everyone works. Is that understood?”

Sora, Lea, Donald, and Goofy had gotten closer. “They’ve lost more than I could’ve even guessed,” Sora realized.

“Aww…” Donald hung his head. Then, knowing he had to bring some hope to the group somehow, he reminded them, “But they said they’re headed to a lost city. That might be a good place to explore for some adventure!”

“Maybe we should tag along!” Goofy suggested. “It sounds like they could use the extra help – “

“You there!” Rourke called out, and all four snapped to attention.

“Yes, Superior?” Lea said half-cockily.

“I don’t recognize your faces,” Rourke told them.

“Oh, uh…” Sora thought quickly. “We were here! Just…in the back of the group?”

“Well, I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth,” Rourke sighed. “Any survivors at this point are a reason to celebrate. What’s your specialty, boys?”

“Ad…venturing?” Donald volunteered.

Rourke sighed. “Still wet behind the ears, I see. All right. Just don’t slow us down.”

“Commander.” The blonde strode up beside him. “If you’re worried about the new blood getting in our way, I’d be glad to make sure they don’t fall out of line.”

“A capital idea, Lieutenant Sinclair,” Rourke agreed. He then nodded back to Sora; “Helga Sinclair will take charge of your supervision until you know what you’re doing.”

“And I suggest you don’t disappoint me,” Helga said coldly.

“All right, then,” Lea replied. “Can’t exactly say no to that, can we?” He rolled his eyes, not too happy that he was being babysat.

“You boys can handle a weapon, right?” Helga asked as Rourke made his way toward a convoy of parked vehicles.

“Now that’s something we do know how to do!” Sora said cheerily.

Helga snorted; “And here I thought the rays of sunshine around here couldn’t be any more annoyingly blinding than Thatch.”

“Than who?” Donald asked.

“If you have to ask questions about the man who’s the reason we’re on this entire expedition,” Helga sighed, “then you’ll need my supervision even more than we thought.”

“Like I said,” Sora reminded her, “we were…in the back of the group.”

“Just get yourself familiarized while we ready the convoy,” Helga snapped. “We won’t wait up for you.”

Sora snapped into a salute: the same one he’d always given Yen Sid. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Well, this sure wasn’t the freedom I was expecting once I left the Organization,” Lea grunted.

“What was that, soldier?” Helga asked.

“And it comes with its very own Saïx,” Lea sighed.

* * *

_Since there is no official music for the new areas I’ll be introducing in this hypothetical, and I’m not a musician, the best I can do is offer you soundalike pieces that capture what I think is close to what you’d hear. The recommended listening for the cavern section of The Lost Empire is “Death Mountain” from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess._

_Helga Sinclair is added to your party! She fights with mostly martial-art attacks. Since we have some new party members, it’s time to discuss team attacks._

_Lea: Final Flame Fanfare – Lea and Sora go back-to-back, and Lea summons up a ring of fire to surround them. He puts his arms out to either side, and his old chakrams materialize in them. Lea throws the chakrams up into the air, then points his Keyblade at one while Sora points his blade to the other. Twin flames shoot up from each Keyblade, charging up the chakrams, which spin faster and faster until they shoot forward, burning anything in their path and leaving glowing skid marks that can still cause damage to enemies for a short while. The flame barrier will also do damage if an enemy touches it._

_Helga: Not-in-Distress Signal – Helga takes out a flare gun and shoots a blazing projectile into enemy ground. Sora gives the Keyblade a spin before using it to cast a bright light onto the flare projectile, which explodes into a geyser-style firework fountain of light that deals out damage._

_Helga also reacts to your GummiPhone camera._

_Helga:_ (Smirking) You should take one. It’ll last longer.

_You start out in the entry chamber, where you can move around the area of the pool bordered by stone steps. A few vehicles are parked at the side of the cavern. At this point, you won’t be able to leave until you’ve spoken to all the other crewmates gathered around the pool. If you try and talk to Rourke, at the cavern’s exit, he’ll respond:_

_Rourke:_ I’m not letting you go anywhere until you know this mission inside and out.

_These scenes can be triggered in any order depending on who you speak to with a reaction command._

* * *

“Amazing,” the bespectacled man said as he observed his surroundings, flipping through a leather-bound book all the while. “Some of these markings can be dated back to before the Roman Empire – “

“Mr. Thatch,” Helga interrupted. “A word.”

“Oh, hey, hi!” The man looked up at his book to observe Helga and her strange new comrades. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“So you’re Mr. Thatch?” Sora realized. “Then you’re the reason we’re all here!”

The man gave a laugh; “Please. Mr. Thatch was my grandfather, and HE’S the reason we’re here. Call me Milo. I’m just…trying to find what he was looking for all those years.”

“Nice to meet you, Milo!” Donald replied. “I’m Donald Duck, and I’m also an explorer!”

“An’ I’m Goofy!” Goofy added. “Done my fair share of adventurin’ myself!”

Lea saluted; “Lea’s the name. Get it memorized.”

“And I’m Sora!” Sora concluded.

“So?” Donald urged. “What’s in the lost city? Treasure? Riches? Valuables?”

“Oh, nonononono!” Milo said hurriedly. “I mean, if you wanted to get technical, yes, probably, but I’m not here to loot the lost city of Atlantis. I’m here to learn about it. My grandfather discovered this book – “ He held up the tome in his hand. “The Shepherd’s Journal. Up until now, no one even believed Atlantis existed! But it’s out there, and I’m gonna prove it! There’s so much we can learn from the ancient Atlanteans and their technology, if the Journal is any indication. If I’m right, there’s a whole entire power source there that we can bring up to the surface to improve our own civilization!”

Sora walked over to take a peek in the book. “Huh? I can’t read this.”

“Oh, yeah,” Milo realized. “It took me a few years of study in order to figure it out…to say the least. I mean, not to brag, but dead languages are my lifeblood. I think – no, I know I can read the Journal well enough to be able to guide us through the caves to Atlantis itself.”

“You must really like languages!” Goofy realized.

“Well, yeah,” Milo babbled, “I mean, I spent my life studying them, I guess you could say I like linguistics, but I’m nowhere near the foremost authority in the world – “

“You’re the only one who even believed in this idea,” Helga reminded him, “and that’s what matters here and now. Even the most skilled polyglot in the world would be useless in your place.”

“Well, it’s always good to make a new friend!” Sora beamed.

“Friend?” Milo repeated, flabbergasted. “I think you’re the first person on this trip who actually called me their friend. Well, y’know what? I’m your friend, too! You need anything, you just call!”

“Right now,” Helga told him, “I need you to drive a truck. You do know how to do that, don’t you?”

“Well…I…uh…” Milo sputtered. “I mean, I’ve driven a bumper car on Coney Island. It’s the same principle – “

“Let’s make sure we give him enough time to learn the difference between the gas and the brake,” Helga suggested, “before he runs himself off a cliff.”

“See ya ‘round, Milo!” Donald said with a wave as the group moved on.

“See ya!” Milo waved right back.

* * *

“Vinny Santorini,” Helga introduced. “Demolitions expert.”

The mustachioed man didn’t seem to notice the approaching quintet at first. He was too busy tinkering with what looked like an alarm clock with several units of dynamite attached to it.

Sora may have been naïve about many things, but this one, he recognized. “ARE YOU BUILDING A BOMB?” he cried in horror.

“Wha?” Vinny looked at him, startled at first but rapidly settling. “No! No. …Yes. Yes, it’s a bomb. You have a problem with the bombs? Because I am being paid very, very handsomely to provide bombs.”

“No one’s complaining about your work, Vinny,” Helga said snidely. “So long as it stays where it should and doesn’t go off unscheduled for a lark.”

“I do not set off explosives on larks,” Vinny clarified. “Premeditated pranks and shenanigans? Maybe. Depends on the timing.”

“He-hey, you sound like my kind of guy!” Lea told him.

“What, you’re demolitions too?” Vinny asked.

“More like pyrotechnics,” Lea replied. “Though I like my fair share of things that go ‘boom.’”

“Ah,” Vinny realized. “So hypothetically, if I were to set up a TNT chain with linked fuses that needed to be lit in succession – “

“I’d be able to do that in a snap,” Lea said, holding up his hand with fingers on the brink of snapping for emphasis. “Literally.”

“O-KAY,” Helga decided, grabbing Lea by his forearm and dragging him along roughly, “I’m putting an end to this before the entire cave goes up in flames.”

* * *

“Careful,” Helga warned. “Our geologist can be…finicky about how he likes his work space.”

“What’s that mean?” Goofy asked.

“IT MEANS – “ the short man with mechanical goggles cried, suddenly popping up behind Goofy.

“WHOO-AH-HOWW!” Goofy leapt two feet in the air.

“ – YOU ARE DISTURBING PRECIOUS DIRT!” the short man urged, making flicking motions with his hands. “Now leave the area before your boot soles leave man-made brand-specific prints in the natural sediment of the environment, rendering its true natural state impossible to discern!”

“This is Mole,” Helga briefed. “Short for ‘Gaetan Molière,’ but you can see where the nickname is apt in more ways than one. Mole, these are the freshmen. Play nice with them. That’s an order.”

“Uh, hi.” Sora put up a hand to wave. “I’m Sora, and – “

“Nononono, no introductions!” Mole practically tackled Sora, grabbing onto that hand and producing a pair of thin silver tweezers that he clacked almost threateningly. “A sample will suffice!”

He and Sora wrestled until Mole got what he wanted: a single speck of dirt from beneath Sora’s fingernail. “Ahhhh,” Mole muttered, extending his goggles to take a look. “Tell me the secrets of the boy!”

He stared at the speck for several seconds before observing, “Strange. This does not match any known dirt I have ever found on this planet. It is almost as if – “

“GOTTA GO!” Sora cried, hustling away; Donald, Goofy, Lea, and Helga followed.

“Hmmm, yes,” Mole muttered, hardly even noticing the others had left. “This is very worn. It has seen a lot. Not as many showers as expected…”

* * *

One of the vehicles’ engines was emitting thick black smoke from under the hood. The overall-clad woman had wrenched that hood up, fumbling around beneath it to find the source of the problem. She coughed and waved the smoke away from her face; “Of course it figures we don’t even get half a mile down the road and – “

A cry of “Ramirez!” snapped her to attention.

“I’m busy!” the young woman cried at Helga.

“You’re fixin’ the car, ain’t ya?” Goofy realized.

“Gee, what was your first clue?” The woman rolled her eyes.

“Audrey Ramirez isn’t one to be underestimated,” Helga warned. “Maybe you were expecting a man of more years to be doing her job, but she can fix what the majority of them break.”

“Why would I have been expecting an older guy?” Sora wondered out loud. “She looks like she’s got it under control.”

“Are you kidding me?” Audrey broke into a chuckle. “Keep this one, Lieutenant, and if there are any more where he came from, I’ll take them on my side.”

She then returned to the car, where she used a wrench to make two turns of a screw. The smoke immediately stopped.

“Nice!” Lea commented. “Sure could use your help when Sora crashes that thing in a ditch.”

“Leeeaaaa!” Sora groaned.

“Hey, no crashing anything!” Audrey scolded as they moved on. “I’m not just here to clean up your messes, you know!”

* * *

“Well, hi there!” the tallest man of them all greeted. “Name’s Sweet. Dr. Joshua Sweet. Pleasure to meet ya.”

“You too!” Goofy told him. “You seem like a friendly fella – “

And in an instant, Sweet had descended upon Goofy. “New here, aren’t ya?” he surmised, placing a stethoscope over Goofy’s heart to listen to the beat. “How long ya been workin’ with Rourke?” He put a tongue depresser in Goofy’s mouth so Goofy couldn’t answer. “Me? I’m practically a veteran.” He swapped the wooden stick out for a glass thermometer. “You with mechanics? Demolition? Or medical with me?” He retrieved the thermometer, beginning to wrap Goofy’s arm up in a cuff to take his blood pressure. “Heartbeat’s a little fast. You nervous or somethin’?”

“Stop harassing the new recruit, Dr. Sweet,” Helga sighed.

“Sorry,” Sweet said as he retrieved the cuff with such force that Goofy went spinning in the opposite direction. “I get a little carried away sometimes.”

“Medical?” Donald realized. “So you’re a healer?”

“Why?” Sweet asked, grinning wholesomely. “Someone here got an ache? A pain? A lingering cough?”

“No,” Lea told him. “Just glad we’ve got a healer who’ll actually, y’know, heal us.”

“STOP IMPLYING I DON’T DO MY JOB!” Donald squawked.

“Ah, you’re a medical professional, too!” Sweet realized. “Where’d you study?”

“Aaaaahhhh…” Donald blanked.

“Got relatives up there,” Sweet said, extrapolating an answer Donald apparently never gave. “Nice place.”

“Love to stay and chat,” Sora told Sweet, “but there’s a lost city waiting for us to find it!”

“You’d better believe it!” Sweet agreed. “Now, you so much as scrape a knee, you come to me, all right!”

“Can do,” Lea replied.

“THAT’S MY JOB!” Donald complained.

“Oh, really?” Lea retored. “I wouldn’t have known.”

Donald was sent into a rage, at which Sora, Lea, and Goofy had a good laugh.

* * *

_After you’ve interacted with them all once, each of the five will get a reaction to your GummiPhone camera._

_Milo:_ (Smiling brightly) I’ve never seen a phone that small before! Where’d you find that? That’s an amazing discovery! (He will then sneeze dramatically, shutting his eyes, so if you snap the picture right after he finishes talking, you’ll catch him with a very unflattering face.)

 _Vinny:_ Eh, it’ll look better than most of the mugshots you’ll find of me.

 _Mole:_ (He hisses, throwing up his arms to hide his face.)

 _Audrey:_ Be sure to get my good side! (She turns to strike a dramatic pose, hands on her hips, looking at the camera from almost profile.)

 _Sweet:_ You be careful with that. (He points.) I’ve heard reading text off screens for too long is bad for your eyes.

_Now that you’ve talked to everyone, head on over to Rourke and speak to him again._

_Rourke:_ Ready to move out?

_Choices: Definitely!/I need a little more time!_

_Once you pick “Definitely,” the next cutscene will transition._

* * *

Audrey, Vinny, Mole, and Sweet got to their vehicles, setting them up to head out. A host of clanking was heard as the convoy readied.

“Let’s get this show on the road, people!” Rourke commanded.

Milo chuckled nervously as his truck, which it turned out he couldn’t drive, was lashed to the rear of an enormous digging machine.

The wheeled parade made its way deeper into the tunnels beneath the ocean with clanking and clattering. Sora, Lea, Donald, Goofy, and Helga waited until the road was clear, then followed after the convoy.

* * *

TITLE CARD: THE LOST EMPIRE

* * *

_You now get an open-area map of the caverns! You start out in an enormous cavern that moves straight ahead, lined with columns on either side and jagged stalactites from the ceiling. There are blue crystals all throughout this world’s areas that you can smash to gain health orbs and munny._

_Now it’s time to talk about the Heartless you’ll be facing that are unique to this world!_

_Maliciousaurus: A Velociraptor-shaped Emblem Heartless. It attacks speedily, but doesn’t require too many hits to take down. It is a little bit shorter than Sora and attacks with claws and teeth._

_Mini-Malice: A “chibi”-sized Maliciousaurus with exaggeratedly cute proportions. It is about equal in proportion to a Shadow Heartless. These tend to swarm in flocks._

_Megalomalice: A Maliciousaurus that is larger than Sora himself (occupying slightly more overall mass than a Large Body) and proportioned more like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It is slower but has higher defense._

_Pterandodestroyer: An aerial Emblem Heartless shaped like a Pteranodon. It attacks by divebombing. It is similar in size and function to an Aerial Soldier._

_Crystal Spider: You know how in KH1, certain bashable barrels and pots could turn out to be spiders? The same principle applies to the breakable crystals! Some of them are cleverly disgused Crystal Spiders in waiting! Aside from the aesthetic change, these are identical to those KH1 heartless._

_Grubbler: A leech-like Pureblood Heartless larva with blue streaks. It leaves a trail of bubbling water that deals damage as it crawls. It will always crawl away from Sora and his party, and will always spawn alongside groups of more aggressive Heartless, like Maliciousauruses. It takes a fair amount of hits to bring down. It’ll be tempting to focus on other Heartless first because they will be physically attacking you, but if you let a Grubbler get away from you and crawl up a wall to cocoon itself in Darkness, the cocoon will erupt and out will come…_

_Icy Shadowfly: A butterfly-shaped Pureblood Heartless, about the same size as an Aerial Soldier. It flies around the battlefield and drops Blizzard projectiles that do much more damage than the water trails of its younger counterpart._

_Larvolcano: A Fire-variant larva Heartless with red streaks._

_Fiery Shadowfly: A Fire-variant butterfly Heartless. Evolves from Larvolcano that is not eliminated._

_Staticpillar: Thunder-variant larva Heartless with yellow streaks._

_Electric Shadowfly: Thunder-variant butterfly Heartless. Evolves from Staticpillar that is not eliminated._

_The rest will be garden-variety Heartless like Soldiers unless specified for a boss/miniboss. Now you’re ready to get going! By the way, the inspiration piece for battle in the caverns is “The Brink of Death” from Chrono Cross._

_Take the path ahead, which will twist and turn and eventually become a series of mazelike bridges. There are of course plenty of treasure chests to find here. After navigating the labyrinth, you will arrive at a reddish cavern where the path forks into two, leading into circular apertures in a great metal wall._

* * *

“Huh…” Milo pored over the Shepherd’s Journal. “If I have my translation right, then one of these paths leads to the road to Atlantis while the other leads to certain doom. And the one we need to take is…” He paused, almost too long to be comfortable, before pointing. “That one!”

“You sure about that, son?” Rourke asked skeptically.

“Milo’s the expert!” Sora insisted. “If he says it’s that way, then we go that way!”

“Let’s act as a scouting party first,” Helga sniffed. “Never go into a coal mine without the canary.”

* * *

_You can only approach the path that Milo indicated. The other will not be interactable at this time. Use a reaction command “Investigate” when you get to the path._

* * *

Sora, Lea, Donald, Goofy, and Helga strode up to the way that Milo had indicated. A rustling noise caused them to stop in their tracks, bracing on instinct.

“Careful, boys,” Helga cautioned.

“It’s the certain doom!” Goofy wailed.

“Eh, probably faced worse,” Lea said casually.

“Guys!” Sora protested. “Milo wouldn’t tell us the wrong way!”

With a roar, an enormous beast, like a bloated green caterpillar with clicking mandibles, burst forth from the archway. Its bellow practically shook the entire cavern.

“UNLESS IT WAS BY ACCIDENT!” Sora cried.

* * *

_Fight the Atlantean Guardian Beast! It lunges with its mandibles to deal heavy damage, and when it hits the ground, it can project a shockwave that radiates outward and packs a punch. Its legs also do damage as they scratch._

* * *

The green creature retreated back into the cavern from whence it had come, and all eyes turned to glare at Milo.

“So, I, uh…” Milo laughed nervously. “I see it now. It actually says THAT way.” He pointed to the other fork.

“SERIOUSLY?” Sora yelled.

Audrey gave a sigh. “This is going to be a long trip.”

“Well, at least our monster-fighters proved their salt,” Rourke remarked. “Which I’m guessing is gonna make things a lot easier in the long run.”

The convoy started up again.

* * *

_The next cavern area will take you around a thin subterreanean waterfall. At the end of this segment, you get treated to another cutscene._

* * *

Donald smacked his beak as he took a swig from a canteen and set it back down. “Ahhhh! That’s good!”

“You didn’t, ah, just drink that, did you?” Vinny asked, approaching him from behind.

“Whyyyyy?” Donald asked him suspiciously.

“Oh, this is BAD.” Vinny’s eyes widened. “That was not water. It was nitroglycerine.”

“WHAAAAT?” Donald panicked. “Oh, no! What do I do?”

“Just stay calm!” Vinny cautioned. “Don’t move – “

Donald stiffened up like a board, arms at his sides.

“Don’t breathe – “

With a gasp, Donald started holding his breath.

“Don’t do anything except pray, maybe.”

Once Donald was starting to get woozy, Mole leapt up from behind him with a sonorous “BOO!”

He and Vinny began to laugh in tandem.

“Wait a minute!” Donald realized. “That was all a prank?”

“Ohhh, I wouldn’t’ve done that if I were you,” Lea chuckled from the sidelines.

“Why not?” Vinny asked, not noticing Donald practically steaming with rage.

With a “WAHAHAHAHAAAAAK!”, Donald flew into a temper tantrum. In a moment, Vinny and Mole were on the run, charging through the cavern as Donald gave chase, multicolored magic blasts firing off from his staff.

Sora, Lea, and Goofy were the ones to have the laugh this time.

* * *

_The next section of cavern has several tiers of rock to jump around to find the way up. After that, you get another cutscene._

* * *

“Whoa!” Milo gasped as he rushed up to an immense pillar standing at the edge of a deep ravine. “Will you LOOK at this thing?”

“So cool!” Sora agreed, running up to him to gawk up at the pillar. “Can you tell me anything about it?”  
“All I know is that it’s ancient,” Milo explained. “It must’ve taken hundreds – no, thousands of years to carve this thing!”

They didn’t notice Vinny setting up several boxes of TNT nearby. He waved back; “Ay, Lea! Gimme a light!”

Lea snapped his fingers, igniting the central fuse. Vinny grabbed Sora and Milo by the backs of their collars, dragging them back and away.

With a sonorous explosion, the entire pillar toppled, bridging the ravine.

As Milo gaped and Sora glowered, Vinny boasted, “Ay, look, I made a bridge! And it only took me, what, ten seconds? Eleven, tops.”

* * *

_Cross the makeshift bridge to enter the next cavern: a snowy and cold expanse. About halfway across the snow plain, there’s another cutscene._

* * *

“Brrr!” Sora hugged himself, rubbing his exposed arms.

“What, a little cold bugging you?” Lea scoffed. “The cold never bothered me, anyway.”

“Islander, remember?” Sora snapped. “And it’s not like I have fire power like you! Donald, can’t you magic me up a coat?”

“The magic doesn’t work like that!” Donald retorted.

Suddenly, with little more warning than a rustling in the snow, a great Heartless, a white dragon-shaped sort with polygonal blue wings, burst up from beneath, baring its teeth.

“Look alive, boys!” Helga jumped out front, and the fight began.

* * *

_This is the Snow Serpent boss from canon Arendelle. Since we won’t be doing Arendelle, I didn’t want it to get left out. This will work exactly like that fight, with several new Serpents spawning until they’re taken out._

_Once that’s done, you can finish crossing the snow plain! The next cavern will have a giant wall that the digging machine will have tunneled through. Follow it down a slightly claustrophobic passage that has some offshoots and dead ends built to hold treasure chests._

_Finally, you will enter the area with the last bridge and the glowing “chandelier” rock in the ceiling. The other characters will have set up camp here. As you approach, a cutscene triggers before you can get into the bridge._

* * *

“Yo, Sora!” Dr. Sweet gestured for Sora to come and sit down with the rest of the crew as they ate a sloppy-looking dinner. “C’mon and have a seat!”

“I’m STARVING!” Sora proclaimed as he plopped down on a barrel. Donald, Goofy, and Lea settled in next to him, and each was given a tray.

Something was wrong. Sora’s vision focused behind the group; “Huh?”

Milo was eating alone.

“Hey, guys?” Sora suggested. “Why aren’t you letting Milo eat with us?”

“It’s not that we’re not letting him,” Audrey explained. “It’s more like…we’ve all known each other for years, and he’s not part of it, so we just sit in different places.”

“But I’m new, too,” Sora protested.

“That’s different,” Vinny told him. “You’re not – ah, how you say – a nerd.”

“That’s not fair,” Sora grumped. “Milo hasn’t done anything wrong. We shouldn’t cut him out. If you’re not gonna invite him, then I’m just gonna go sit with him.”

“Me too,” Lea agreed, with Donald and Goofy nodding. “Look, cutting a guy out of the team is no way to build loyalty. I’ve been there.”

“Y’know, we have been pretty hard on him,” Sweet realized. “I think you’re right. We should cut the kid some slack.”

“HEY, MILO!” Audrey called over. “YOU WANNA SIT WITH US?”

Milo perked up; “Really?”

“SURE!” Audrey yelled. “PARK IT HERE!” She patted another barrel.

Milo rushed over to sit next to her. “Thanks, guys. It’s an honor to be included, honestly.”

He then proceeded to eat with one hand while using the other to balance the Shepherd’s Journal on his knee.

“Hey!” Donald scolded. “We didn’t invite you over here so you could ignore us!”

Milo snapped the book shut. “Oh, sorry…sorry. It’s just…it’s so weird. There’s this part where it seems to be building up to something like a central power source, some kind of…Heart of Atlantis, but then it just – it just stops. Like there’s a missing page.”

Upon hearing the term Milo used to describe the phenomenon he’d been reading about, Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged glances. “Ya don’t think…” Goofy suggested.

“Maybe!” Donald replied.

“You have a thought?” Milo prompted.

“It’s not important,” Sora assured him. “What is important is that we’ve already had so many adventures as a team!”

“And that’s what it’s all about!” Milo agreed. “Discovery, teamwork, adventure…”

He then noticed the blank looks on his companions’ faces. “Unless you’re all in it for the money.”

One by one, Mole, Audrey, Sweet, and Vinny admitted:

“Money.”

“Money.”

“Money.”

“I’m, ah, gonna say…money.”

“Well, we’re not exactly in it just for fun either, remember?” Donald chided with a glare at Sora.

“So…you mean you guys aren’t friends?” Sora was dumbstruck.

“Well, we’re a working team,” Audrey replied. “We get along.”

“Is that not enough?” Vinny asked.

“Maybe for you guys,” Sora replied. “But…I kinda wanna get to know you all a little better, if that’s all right. Maybe you could tell me some things about yourselves. Like what you did before you became adventurers.”

After some thought, Sweet said, “All right. I’ll bite. I was born and raised among Arapaho medicine men. Learned from the best. Went to school to hone my skills when I got drafted. One day I’m in the classroom learning gross anatomy, the next I’m patchin’ up men in the field.”

“It used to be my dad on the team instead of me,” Audrey explained. “I took the job when he retired. The funny thing is, he always wanted sons. One to run his machine shop, and the other to be middleweight boxing champion. But he got me to take over the mechanics side, and my sister is twenty-four and null with a shot at the title next month. Anyway, I was hoping the money from this mission would help Papi and me to open up a new shop.”

“Well, as far as me goes, I just like to blow things up,” Vinny stated.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Lea told him. “But as a team pyro myself, I can’t help but think there’s a little more to the story.”

With a sigh, Vinny admitted, “My family owned a flower shop. We sold roses, carnations, baby’s breath, you name it. One day, I’m working on about three dozen corsages for this ‘prom,’ you know, the one they put on the wrist, and everyone’s all ‘Where is it? When is it?’ I guess there was some sort of gas leak next door. BOOM! Blew me right through the front window. I found myself, that boom.”

“What about him?” Sora inclined his head to Mole.

“Trust me on this one,” Sweet stated. “You don’t wanna know. Audrey, don’t tell ‘em. You shouldn’t’a told me, but you did, and now I’m tellin’ you: you don’t wanna know.”

All eyes were now on Milo. “Well, I’m doing all this because of my grandfather,” he said shyly. “After my parents died, he raised me all on his own. I’m just thinking…” He smiled broadly. “One time, we were out in the woods and I thought I’d found a real arrowhead. It was just a piece of rock, but he got all excited and played along at the time. He always fostered a spirit of adventure in me. I guess that flame just never went out.”

“That’s wonderful,” Sora said.

“How about you guys?” Milo asked. “What’s your story?”

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Lea all flinched; “UHHHH…

After some nervous looks were exchanged, Sora began: “Well, I’m from an island. I grew up there with my two best friends. We always wanted to know what was outside the borders of our home, to see what there was to see out there in the world. And now that we can, I’m taking every opportunity to look for new adventures and new friends.”

“Goofy and I are, ahhhh, soldiers!” Donald said. “We’ve spent our lives trying to protect others who need our help, and stop big, bad bullies from hurting them!”

“Ee-yup!” Goofy confirmed.

“Guess that leaves me,” Lea said with a wistful smile. “I grew up in the big city. Had a couple real good friends…one of ‘em in a real bad situation. I thought everything was gonna come up roses. Then, all of a sudden, I’ve lost both of the people I cared most about. One just disappeared, and the other…well, he just stopped being the person I thought he was. After that, I fell in with the wrong crowd.” His smile faded. “Did some pretty awful things, looking for power and a purpose. Ruined a few lives. Some things, I’ll never be able to make up for. But I made a friend who helped me turn it all around…until I messed it up. I lied to keep the status quo, and he figured out way before I ever did that what we were doing, it wasn’t gonna lead anywhere. So he left. I stayed behind. I thought…if I just kept doing what I was trying to do, it’d all work out. But the hard truth of the matter is I was just being an idiot. Couldn’t see what was right in front of my own face. Eventually, I got out, but of the three of ‘em, I don’t even talk to one. That might change soon, but…heh. Starting to think maybe the problem isn’t rotten luck. Maybe I’m just not the type to be able to keep the people he cares about. Maybe I’m just no good in general.”

“Sounds rough,” Sweet told him.

“Lea…” Sora gave him a sympathetic look. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re a good person. You’ve really worked to turn things around. And I like being your friend a whole lot.”

“Thanks, Sora.” But Lea couldn’t look him in the eye, actively turning away from him. “Let’s just…change the subject.”

Reluctantly, Sora did so. “It’s kinda too bad Helga and Rourke didn’t join in. I wanted to get to know them better, too.”

“You’re really something else,” Audrey told him. “That kind of naïveté will make you cruise for a bruising.”

“Well, I like the way you think,” Milo assured Sora. “We’re a team, so we should act like it.” He gave a yawn. “After we get some sleep. I’m exhausted!”

“We should really rest up,” Donald agreed.

They all dumped their dinners into the fire and began to turn in.

* * *

Everyone had settled into a tent to sleep for the night. Most had passed out. To Lea’s knowledge, he was the only one awake.

He propped himself up a bit on his sleeping bag, looking around to see the other heads sticking out of the tents. There was Sora, calm and peaceful as could be. Donald, giving a “Haaaah” with each breath. Goofy, snoring with a whistle.

Lea slumped back, looking straight up at the glowing rock on the roof of the cavern. “So you’ve got faith in me, huh?” he muttered. “That makes one of us.”

And he shut his eyes.

* * *

In his dream, he was a teenager again, walking the streets of Radiant Garden with Isa.

“Today’s the day!” Lea said, quite chipper, as he watched Isa eat a sea-salt ice cream pop.

“Yes,” Isa said pensively. “Today’s the day we – “

They were suddenly treading the hallway in the deepest bowels of the castle, with the doors to the laboratory cells lining their stride. Isa’s ice cream was gone.

A shift, like a glitch. “ – rescue Subject X,” Isa finished.

Lea hurried ahead to the last door, throwing it open to reveal a round, empty chamber. “Huh? Where’s – “

“I knew we couldn’t save her. Why bother trying?”

When Lea turned around, he wasn’t looking at Isa but Saïx. He, himself, was Axel, black coat and all. “There is only one way now,” Saïx urged as the environment changed to the Gray Area.

“No way!” Axel pushed past him, hurrying out into the hall to meet with Roxas and Xion.

A glitch.

To meet with Roxas and only Roxas.

“Axel?” Roxas said with concern.

“Roxas,” Axel panted. “You’re the last one I can save. We gotta get outta here.”

“No,” Roxas corrected. “I gotta get outta here. You can stay until you find your precious Subject X.”

They were outside, in the street of the World That Never Was. He and the girl were walking away.

He was walking away. All by himself.

“ROXAS!” Lea called after him.

“What’s more important?” Roxas yelled back. “A fake friendship – “

As Saïx appeared next to Axel, Roxas’ voice melted into his until only Saïx spoke: “Or a real one?”

* * *

As Lea endured the night terrors, he tossed and turned on his sleeping bag. “Subject X…” he muttered, breaking into a sweat. “Subject X…no, Subject X…”

This was noticed by Rourke, who gave a slight smile as he observed this little scene before turning in to his own tent.

* * *

“Lea?”

Lea’s eyes snapped open. How long had he been asleep?

Sora and Milo stood over him, looking quite concerned. “You were having a bad dream,” Sora explained.

“You doing okay?” Milo asked.

“Yeah, yeah…” Lea sat up. “Just old ghosts, I guess.” A cursory glance of camp revealed the others were still asleep. “Don’t tell me I made such a ruckus you two woke up.”

“Weeeelllll…” Sora and Milo looked away awkwardly.

“Great.” Lea rose to his feet, dusting himself off. “Well, hardly any point in trying to go back to sleep, then.”

“Milo?” Sora asked. “Did you find anything else out in the journal?”

“We’re close,” Milo revealed. “In the final stretch. That light up there is one of the last markers.”

Sora ran out to gawk up at it. “Whoa. How does it work? It’s so pretty!”

“I…don’t actually know.” Milo flipped through the journal. “There’s nothing about it except for…a warning? But it doesn’t make any sense.”

Sora kept his eyes trained on the light. A single speck, a firefly, broke away from it, lazily descending until it rested at Sora’s feet.

And then burst into flames.

“WHOA!” Sora stumbled back. “GUYS?”

“Ohhh, that is not good,” Milo said nervously. “We gotta warn the others before – “

The light glowed. A cloud of the fireflies spewed forth, descending on the camp. In minutes, all the tents were afire; Sweet, Audrey, Mole, Vinny, Rourke, Donald, and Goofy rushed around in a panic.

Helga ran right up to Sora; “WHAT did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Sora protested.

“MOVE OUT!” Rourke yelled. “NOW, NOW, NOW!”

Crew members rushed to the vehicles to start up the convoy. The lead truck was nearly to the bridge when a new cloud of fireflies descended thickly before it, swirling in a great cyclone.

All of a sudden, the fireflies burst away in a great eruption, revealing a great monster in their wake. It stood twice as tall as Sora, perched on the bridge on two insectoid legs. Massive translucent wings, two pair, protruded from its back and shimmered with gold-orange light. Two pairs of smaller arms poked from its sides, waving almost uselessly, but the larger arms atop its insectoid body bore a pair of nasty pincers that snapped. As the Guardian Beast before it, this creature had a vicious set of mandibles. Those mandibles peeled back and the new monster spewed fire in an arc before itself, creating a wall.

Through the flames, Sora could see the emblem on its chest. The splintered heart. “A Heartless!”

“SORA!” Audrey yelled. “GET RID OF THAT THING SO WE CAN GET MOVING!”

“ALL RIGHT!” Sora yelled back. “JUST HANG ON!”

* * *

_This boss Heartless is called a Pyrofly! It mainly relies on Fire-based attacks from its mouth and pincers, though said mouth and pincers also deal good physical damage. Blizzard spells can hamper it a good bit._

_Defeat it to continue the story._

* * *

With the Pyrofly out of the way, the convoy proceeded across the bridge. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Lea, and Helga ran alongside the chain of vehicles. However, once all the trucks were on the stone arch, the rock began to crack.

“IT’S UNSTABLE!” Helga cried. “EVASIVE MANEUV – “

The entire bridge gave way all at once, plunging the Atlantis expedition down, down, down into the dark with a cacophony of screams.

* * *

Elsewhere in the cavern network, three of the Organization were making their way through the path already taken by the convoy.

“It seems someone has been here before us,” Vexen remarked.

“Fresh tire tracks, right?” Demyx brought up.

“How surprisingly observant,” Vexen responded. “I hadn’t expected that from you.”

“Thanks!” Demyx then paused. “Hey, WAIT a minute – “

“Ugghhhh,” Larxene groaned. “If you boys don’t learn to get along, I WILL turn this ship around.”

“The last time I checked, YOU did not qualify to give anyone lessons in diplomacy,” Vexen scoffed.

“It’s because everyone hates you,” Demyx clarified.

“Well, if you hate me sooooooo much, I might as well not even be on your little box hunt!” Larxene spat. “I’m off. Catch you later if you’re lucky.”

As she set off down a diverting path, Vexen’s response temporarily stopped her; “Now, why do I get the distinct impression that you were looking for an excuse to leave from the very start?”

She smirked at him over her shoulder. “So it does have brains as advertised.”

“Stop being rude,” Demyx chided. “Just tell us what your ulterior motive is. Maybe I want in.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m NOT going to tell you,” Larxene giggled.

“You can be certain the Superior will hear about this,” Vexen seethed.

“Oh, I’m not going to do anything!” Larxene cooed. “Just have a little look around, that’s all! There’ll be nothing he can even write me up for. Promise!” She punctuated it with a wink.

“Whatever you’re doing,” Vexen vowed, “I WILL find out, and I WILL ensure it becomes public knowledge within the Organization.”

Larxene just shrugged and resumed her exeunt. “Whatever makes you feel better about yourself.”

“We are so gonna bust her,” Demyx muttered.

“Though it would behoove us to put in the effort seeking that which we have been assigned, first,” Vexen told him.

“Do you always have to be such a killjoy?” Demyx asked.

“Think about it,” Vexen told him. “Would the report sound more convincing coming from those who had also slacked off, or those who had followed Xemnas’ instruction to the letter?”

“…Good point,” Demyx admitted.

As Larxene exited the earshot of the other two, she muttered, “Okay, princess. Let’s see if you’ve got as much heart as they say.”

* * *

A flame in the dark. Rourke called out, “Sound off if you’re not dead!”

A chorus of groans, including four that distinctly belonged to Sora, Lea, Goofy, and Donald.

Lights went up, revealing the new area that they all found themselves in.

“Where are we?” Helga asked, her eyes traveling up the long stone shaft above them.

“We appear to be in the midst of a dormant volcano!” Mole identified.

“A volcano?” Sora cried. “Is it gonna explode?”

“Oh, no, no!” Mole waved that off. “It would take an explosive force of tremendous proportions to reactivate her!”

All eyes went to Vinny, who slowly lowered a makeshift time bomb consisting of an alarm clock and several red sticks. “Maybe I should work on this later, eh?”

“Looks like we have to get our bearings again regarding the way forward,” Rourke noted. “What do you think, Mr. Thatch?”

Silence.

“Thatch?”

Everyone looked around; Milo Thatch was missing.

“Wah!” Sora flinched. “We gotta go find him!”

“Sorry, kid,” Rourke sneered. “After a collapse like that, you aren’t gonna find much.”

“I’ve been surprised before,” Lea scoffed.

“We can’t just give up on him!” Donald protested.

“Maybe if we look around…” Goofy suggested.

“I’m not wasting time and resources looking for a dead man,” Rourke spat. “If you want to go on a wild goose chase, then do so yourselves.”

“And count me out.” Helga strutted away. “We have a job to do here, and I intend to earn the pay for it.”

“Well, I’m not gonna just walk away without at least knowing what happened to him,” Sora insisted. “Donald? Goofy? Lea? You guys with me?”

“Of course!” Donald replied.

“Right behind ya!” Goofy cheered.

“I liked the guy,” Lea added. “So yeah, count me in.”

“So you know,” Rourke insisted, “we’re not sparing any resources for you, either.”

“That’s just fine,” Sora insisted. “We can take care of ourselves. But we also take care of our friends! Maybe that’s something you should think about!”

He turned and bolted away. Donald, Goofy, and Lea followed. That left Rourke to roll his eyes; “Kids.”

* * *

_At this point, Helga leaves your party. You will not get her back._

_You’re free to explore the volcanic cavern as you please. There’s a pathway that will lead back to the areas you just explored earlier, but if you try to access it, a dialogue box will block your way: “We have to search for Milo!”. Instead, seek out a smaller cave entrance across the cavern, entering a dark and tight network of tunnels. You’ll descend further, eventually coming out in a wide cave of rocky pillars._

_A cutscene will begin once you enter._

* * *

“MIIIII-LO!” Sora yelled as he walked into the cavernous expanse. “MILO? ARE YOU OKAY?”

“MILO!” Donald called out.

“Think I should send up a signal flare?” Lea asked Goofy.

“There’s gotta be a better way to find him,” Sora muttered. “We just – “

A sudden, quick motion off to the side caused him to flinch, whipping toward the shadows. “Hey! Who’s there?”

He was looking at a blank stone wall. As were Goofy, Donald, and Lea.

“Huh,” Sora sighed as the four of them turned to look straight ahead once more.

There was now a person suddenly in their path, most of their body obscured by an oversized brown mask bordered with fur.

“WAAAAAH!” Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Lea all flinched.

The Masked Atlantean held out a hand toward them, palm up.

“Uhhhh…hi?” Sora said tentatively. “What’s your name?”

The Masked Atlantean instantly closed her hand, flinching.

“Not sure they can understand us,” Lea pointed out. “Might be easier if we had a certain linguist on board.”

“We’re lookin’ for a lost friend,” Goofy said. “Can ya help?”

“He just SAID they can’t UNDERSTAND!” Donald stamped a foot.

The Masked Atlantean regarded them for a brief moment, then turned to gesture to another tunnel carved into the stone wall.

“I think they want us to go that way,” Sora noted. “Maybe it’s a lead!”

“Well, then, let’s go!” Goofy urged.

The Masked Atlantean began to run in that direction, beckoning the others on with a wave of her arm. And they followed without hesitation.

* * *

_The Masked Atlantean joins your party! She fights with a hooked spear. With her, you gain a new team attack._

_Divine Remembrance – Sora and the Masked Atlantean rise into the air, back-to-back, arms spread out. Beneath them, a circle filled with blue Atlantean letters illuminates on the ground. Sora and the Masked Atlantean glow with a blue aura, then suddenly each point forward. Several arrows made of blue light shoot out in all directions from the circle, harming any enemies in their path._

_There’s another network of tunnels and caverns to go through with your new friend, including some random encounters of Heartless to clear out. Eventually, you’ll come to another open area, dark save for a few shafts of light from above. Milo will be visible, unconscious and slumped against a rock. Approach him to trigger the next cutscene._

* * *

When Sora recognized the fallen man before him, he broke into a run. “MILO!”

Donald, Goofy, and Lea followed him closely. Sora dropped to his knees before Milo, looking him over in a panic. “Milo, say something!” Sora begged.

The Masked Atlantean calmly walked up behind Sora, pushing him aside so she could kneel down before Milo.

“Can you help him?” Sora asked.

The Atlantean leaned over Milo, looking him up and down. Then, slowly yet fluidly, she removed her mask, revealing herself to be a white-haired woman.

This woman – Kidagakash Nedakh, or “Kida” – looked to Sora and gave him a smile and a nod.

She then returned her focus to Milo, leaning over him and gripping a blue crystal pendant that hung from her neck. With precision, she moved the pendant over the visible scratches Milo had; in the wash of the blue light that emanated from the crystal, the wounds healed completely.

Milo gave a start, prying his eyes open. “Aaauuuughhhh…”

“MILO!” Sora cried, beaming.

“Sora,” Milo replied with a weak nod. “And…”

His gaze focused on Kida, who was giving him an almost mischievous grin.

“Who…are you?” Milo asked.

“Dunno,” Lea said. “She just teamed up with us all of a sudden. Hasn’t said a word. We didn’t even know she was a girl until just now.”

Milo’s eyes widened. “If you’re not with the expedition, then…does that mean…?”

Kida rose, turning to walk away.

“H-hey!” Milo quickly scrambled up to his feet to follow her. “Wait! Don’t go! I have so many questions!”

“We better follow,” Sora said with a nod.

* * *

_You are now free to move about the cave again. Your party member is now labeled as “Kida,” and animations for team attacks and the like will change to show her face._

_Milo will also walk alongside the party, but not as an official member. Think of him as an escort NPC that you don’t actually have to protect._

_Make your way through the final stretch of caves, which include some platforming and wall-climbing. On the other side, you’ll come out into the light onto a ledge._

* * *

Once he had emerged from the caverns, Sora pulled to a stop at the ledge’s edge, his entire expression lighting up at the sight before him. “Whoa…”

“Lemme see, lemme see!” Donald bounded up beside him to get a look. His lower beak dropped: “Whaaaaaa…”

“Whoa,” Goofy said softly, walking up beside Donald.

Lea gave a “Heh” as he fell in line beside Sora. “Now there’s somethin’ you don’t see every day.”

The vision they beheld was of an entire continent stretched out before them, situated on a disc-shaped mesa bearing its own ocean. The landmass contained a thick cluster of buildings that formed into a great city, lights flickering from on ahead. All around, a massive waterfall poured down from the plateau, cascading into a larger ocean of red magma below.

“No way!” Milo gasped as he and Kida stepped up. “That’s it – it’s really – “

“Atlantis.” It was Kida’s first word since joining the party.

“It’s beautiful,” Milo breathed. “It’s even better than I’d dreamed! This is REAL! And…” He looked to Kida in awe. “This…is your home, isn’t it? You live here, don’t you?”

Before anything else could be said, there was a rumble. The wall behind them collapsed as the convoy’s digging machine burst through, bringing along with it Rourke, Helga, Audrey, Vinny, Dr. Sweet, and Mole – the last of whom was in the driver’s seat of the digger.

“Whoa!” Audrey gasped.

“Looks like we found what we came down here for,” Sweet remarked.

“Finally,” Helga sighed, satisfied.

“Ay, look!” Vinny gestured at the others. “Guess Milo was still alive after all, huh? Good thing you guys went after him.”

“Yeah, all by ourselves!” Sora put his hands on his hips indignantly. “You guys wouldn’t even go looking for him!”

“Now, now,” Rourke cautioned. “Let’s not be hasty. It was all a big misunderstanding. By the way, who’s your new friend?”

“This is – “ Sora faltered. “Uhhh…we don’t really know her name.”

Kida began to explain the circumstances, but did so in a language that was foreign to all present, gesturing along with her words. When she realized how many blank looks she was getting, she stopped, looking around awkwardly.

“Hang on,” Milo said, stepping out to face her directly. He spoke to her in another language that no one could understand – no one but Kida.

She replied. Then he countered. Each time, they moved a little closer to the lingua franca, until –

“Parlez-vous francais?”

“Oui, monsieur!”

“Do you…understand me?” Milo asked. “We’re explorers, looking for the lost empire.”

Kida gestured out to the continent atop the plateau; “Welcome to Atlantis!”

* * *

_From here on out, the music would change. The soundalike I’ve chosen for the Atlantean continent’s overworld theme is “Calm Before the Storm” from Final Fantasy X, and the battle theme soundalike is “Fight Between the Wind and the Blinking Sky” from Tales of Zestiria._

_You have control again, and you’re standing before an immense wooden rope bridge that crosses the lava sea. The digging machine will set out slowly driving across; you don’t need to wait for it or outpace it. There’s enough room for you to walk alongside it. Head across the bridge; a couple of random encounters will spawn. Once you’ve crossed, there’s a new cutscene._

* * *

The group paraded through the city, with Kida and Milo at the lead. Kida was peppering Milo with questions, having removed his glasses to set upon her face. “I have so many questions about your world!” she gushed. “What is your country of origin? When did the floodwaters recede? How – “

“Whoa, whoa.” Milo gave a nervous chuckle as he took his glasses back, settling them on his own face. “How about this? Since we both have questions, we’ll take turns. I’ll ask one, then you’ll ask one, then me, then you, then me, then you, and so on.”

“Very well,” Kida agreed. “What is your first question?”

“How did you end up down here?” Milo asked. “Well, not you personally, but all this…”

A little further back, Sora grinned, watching the two of them chat. “They seem to be getting along pretty well,” Sora remarked.

“Lemme get this straight,” Donald reiterated. “We thought we were lookin’ for a buncha ruins, but it turned out there was a whole culture of people living down here the entire time?”

“Wait until these guys figure out about other worlds,” Lea chuckled.

“Don’t even joke!” Donald cautioned. “World order, remember?”

“Can’t help but be a bit worried,” Goofy admitted. “The explorers were lookin’ to make a whole lotta money off this trip. But it ain’t anythin’ they can take. It belongs to the people who live here! Ya think the fellas we’ve been travelin’ with will be okay with that? I don’t wanna think they’d do anythin’ bad…”

“They won’t,” Lea assured. “I know their type. Maybe a little self-serving, but they’re not evil. We’ll be fine.”

“Because you’re such a great judge of character,” Donald muttered.

“Hey!” Lea snapped. “I heard that!”

Even further back, Rourke and Helga walked side-by-side, looking quite uneasy.

“Commander,” Helga said. “There weren’t supposed to be people here. This changes everything.”

“This changes nothing,” Rourke huffed, and on they walked.

* * *

Kida brought them all to the throne room of her father, Kashekim, king of Atlantis. Here, her bare feet splashed into the shallow water that lined the floor of the room. Kashekim himself, a frail and elderly man, reclined beside the face of a crumbled statue.

Kida immediately greeted her father in Atlantean. He responded in a disparaging tone. The two carried on a conversation; Milo looked askance, taking out a small book to jot down notes.

“What’re they saying?” Sora whispered to Milo.

“It’s…not good,” Milo whispered back. “Outsiders aren’t allowed here. Kida broke a big taboo by bringing us this far into the city.”

“Oh, no…” Sora replied.

Rourke cleared his throat, stepping out in front of the group. “Pardon me, but if I may clarify, we are peaceful explorers. We mean you and your people no harm whatsoever.”

“Is that so?” Kashekim asked.

“Why, yes,” Rourke affirmed. “In fact – “

He was cut off by the appearances of several Heartless in the throne room. Maliciousauruses, a couple of Megalomalices, a host of elemental grubs and a good contingent of Neo-Shadows.

“The monsters!” Kashekim growled. “It is your fault they are here in our city’s walls!”

“Ay, Sora!” Vinny called out. “This is your job, right?”

“Don’t worry!” Sora called his Keyblade into being; Lea summoned his own as Donald and Goofy readied their own weapons. “We’ll take care of it!”

He gave a nod to Kida, who ran to join their party, bracing her spear.

The others cleared out to give them an ample battlefield.

* * *

_Take out the Heartless horde!_

* * *

When the last of the Heartless had been vanquished, Kashekim pursed his lips, his eyebrows furrowed. “They claim to be peaceful explorers. And yet they come bearing weapons. Not just any weapons, at that…but Keyblades.”

“Wait!” Sora gaped. “You KNOW about the Keyblade?”

“An ancient tool that leaves destruction in its wake,” Kashekim replied. “I had hoped never to encounter one here.”

“But without the Keyblade, we couldn’t’a fought the Heartless away!” Goofy protested.

Kashekim put up a hand; “The monsters only follow Darkness. It was your expedition that brought them into our sanctuary.”

Rourke flinched, his hand moving toward his waist as if to retrieve a weapon.

“That’s not true!” Sora protested. “My friends wouldn’t do something like that!”

Rourke relaxed.

“Loads of us have a little Darkness in us,” Lea added. “Who’s to say the Dark we carry with us didn’t mingle with the Darkness that was already here and cause an overload?”

Kashekim glared at Lea. “Within you, I sense much Darkness. Perhaps the most of all.”

“Well, I got over it,” Lea scoffed. “For the most part, anyway.”

“Guys,” Milo protested. “I really, REALLY think we should just do as he says and leave. We’re intruding on a social custom here. It’d be best if we just left the people to their own devices.”

“But didn’t you wanna learn more about the city?” Sora argued. “It’s better than we thought! Now you can just ask!”

“Your majesty,” Rourke pleaded. “If I may ask for just…one night to stay in the city so we can resupply and get our bearings. We’ll be gone by morning.”

“Pleeeeaaaaase?” Sora begged.

“Father,” Kida said softly.

Kashekim let out a low groan. “Very well. But one night only.”

“You’re too kind, sir,” Rourke replied with a smirk.

“YEAH!” Sora leapt into the air, pumping his fist. “We can explore the city for one night!”

Kida looked to Milo. Her smile encouraged him to smile back; maybe this wasn’t a bad thing.

* * *

Once they’d all left the throne room, Rourke and Helga took Vinny, Audrey, Mole, and Sweet off into the city to regroup. Kida, however, gestured to call Milo, Sora, Lea, Donald, and Goofy to conference.

“I tried to reason with my father,” she explained, “but he lets fear overcome him. In coming here, you have demonstrated knowledge that has been lost to our people for centuries. Atlantis is dying! We forage for food on the edge of a crumbling city, and no one remembers the old ways! But you have come not only able to read our texts, but with an ancient tool that could be the key to our survival! I am not yet ready to give up hope that you could help save Atlantis and return it to a thriving city!”

“That’s…kind of a tall order,” Milo admitted nervously. “But we’ll give it a shot!”

“No problem!” Sora said dismissively. “Any idea where we should start?”

Kida thought it over. “There is something. An oddity I was never able to make sense of. Perhaps if you look at it, you will see what I cannot. Follow me!”

She beckoned the group onward, leading them to another part of the city.

* * *

The room that Kida entered next, bringing the others in tow, looked to be a library of sorts, its primary chamber lined with shelves of books and scrolls. At the far end from the double doors where Kida had brought the group, a brazier was situated in the wall, with several lines of Atlantean writing engraved in the stone above the mantel.

“This has never made sense to me,” Kida explained. “No matter what I try, I cannot light the fire within. The writing must give some sort of instruction as to how, and what it is for, and why it is in a room filled with texts. Can you understand anything from this?”

“Hmm…let’s see.” Milo stepped up to the wall, looking over the script. “The Flames of Knowledge must be lit in order to access the greatest truth of Atlantis. Only when the three flames scattered across the city are lit can the final flame ignite to show the way.” He turned to Kida. “Have you seen other braziers like this elsewhere in the city?”

“Now that you mention it, I have,” Kida realized. “It must have been a way for our elders to guard secret knowledge.”

“Well, if it’s flames you want, I’ve gotcha covered,” Lea stated with a wave of his hand.

“So we have to find three more places to light fires in the city,” Sora mused, “and then come back here so we can light this one…and we’ll learn something?”

“That’s how I understand it,” Milo replied.

“Then let’s go!” Sora encouraged.

* * *

_You now get to explore the city itself to find the three braziers. I would imagine this map to be fairly large. There are minimal cutscenes on this path, and you can find the braziers in any order. They are located:_

_-On top of the highest tower, giving you a vista of the whole city. You will have to climb up to the top on a path that isn’t straightforward._

_-In the harbor area. You’ll have to cross the shallows to find a small square stone building partway out to sea; the brazier is inside._

_-In a building nestled among homes in a residential district. This building is dome-shaped and situated upon more water._

_These areas are fairly spaced out from one another. In order to reach all of them, you’ll have to pass through the central marketplace (where you can find the Moogle Shop)._

_Each time you find a brazier, use a reaction command called “Ignite” to light them. You’ll be treated to a brief scene of Sora and Lea putting their Keyblades together and raising them high to cast the Firaga spell that lights the flames; each brazier will remain lit permanently after it is ignited. If you attempt to light the one in the library too early, however, it will douse itself._

_There are also short cutscenes after each brazier being lit – each time you start to walk back to market, it will transition, then give you back control where you left off immediately after. The order of these scenes depends on the order in which you light the braziers._

* * *

The group jumped back down to terra firma off the highest tower, turning to make their way back to town. As they did, however, Goofy noticed something, and he held back, turning away with a “Hmm?”.

Across the way, Mole was darting about furtively, looking around as though he didn’t want to be seen.

Goofy put up a hand and waved cheerfully; “HEY! MOLE!”

Upon realizing he’d been spotted, Mole gave a yelp, then withdrew a shovel that he used to tunnel straight down and hide in the ground.

Goofy faltered, lowering his hand. “Well, all right, then. Must be busy.” And he turned to rejoin his friends.

* * *

As the group got back on the docks of the harbor, Donald’s attention was caught by a movement from the corner of his eye. “Waak?”

He turned to look. For a brief moment, he made eye contact with Vinny, who was watching from a couple docks away.

“Hey!” Donald realized. “That’s – “

Vinny immediately turned and darted away.

“Hmmmm…” Donald folded his arms, suspicion rising. Then he realized he was being left behind. “Hey, wait for me!”

* * *

Once the group had begun to take their leave of the residential neighborhood, Lea lingered back, smiling as he glanced around the homes.

“Must be nice to have a place to belong,” he sighed.

Then: a flash of movement. Lea tilted his head, leaning forward.

Audrey hurried between two of the buildings, glancing only briefly between the gap to see the others.

“Is she conducting recon or something?” Lea shrugged it off, then walked along after his friends.

* * *

_Return to the central brazier once all three of the braziers in the city are lit. Use the Ignite command. The animation of Sora and Lea lighting the fire will transition to…_

* * *

One of the walls split open, a segment moving partially aside. Beyond was a pool of water that appeared fairly deep; a set of stone stairs curved in a dome around it served as a border.

“I am not so sure about this,” Kida realized. “Whatever our elders took pains to hide, it must only have been for the most trustworthy to see. I am not sure I should show you all.”

“Hey, we’re plenty trustworthy!” Donald argued.

“Donald,” Goofy encouraged. “They don’t know that just yet. Maybe we should leave this to them.”

“Hmm.” Kida thought it over. “Milo, you should come. You are the only one who can read any text we may discover. And…Sora. It could shine a light on the nature of your weapon.”

“I’ve got a Keyblade too, y’know,” Lea argued. “And I just helped you go around lighting all those fires in the city.”

“How do I put this?” Kida asked. “You practically admitted a connection to the monsters. Sora is…Sora is…”

“It’s just hard not to trust Sora,” Milo volunteered. “I don’t think he could lie if he wanted to.”

“Yeah, I could!” Sora replied enthusiastically. Then, almost immediately: “No, I couldn’t.”

“Then it is settled,” Kida declared. “Sora and Milo shall come. Donald, Goofy, and Lea, you will remain here and explore the city at your leisure. We will meet up again to discuss anything we have learned that I have deemed can be shared. Until then, you are not to tell anyone where we are going or what we are doing.”

“Paranoid much?” Lea chuckled.

Kida glowered at him. “You assume I would so easily entrust Atlantis’ greatest secret to a band of outsiders. That I am allowing two is generous.”

“Fine, fine,” Lea relented. “You kids have fun.”

“We can go see if we can catch up with the others!” Goofy chirped.

“And I’m starving!” Donald added.

“See you guys in a bit!” Sora said as he, Kida, and Milo moved through the newly-revealed door. “And save some of the food for me!” He waved.

The wall closed behind them, separating the two groups.

* * *

Outside the library, Donald and Goofy moseyed on down to the marketplace together, chatting excitedly with one another. Lea, however, hung back, taking another look at the pillars overhead.

He then slumped, giving a despondent sigh.

“What’s the matter? Your friends run off without you?”

Lea flinched, startled at the sudden voice. Rourke approached from seemingly nowhere, a smile plastered upon his face.

Lea played it cool. “Maybe I just wanted some alone time.”

“You wouldn’t have happened to find out anything important about this city, would you?” Rourke asked.

“Nothin’ we didn’t already know,” Lea replied.

Rourke raised a brow. “Are you sure about that?”

Lea’s own brow furrowed. “And why do you wanna know, anyway?”

“When people are hiding things from me, I wanna know what those things are,” Rourke replied. “Keeping secrets isn’t really a way to build trust. Don’t you think?”

Lea bit his lip and looked away.

“Not to mention that knowledge is power,” Rourke added. “A greater wealth than anything that could be found in a lost city. I make it my business to know all sorts of things. You might even be interested in the whispers I’ve heard about a certain…Subject X.”

Lea’s attention was jolted back to Rourke. “You know where she is? HOW?”

“Calm down,” Rourke told him. “I’m not so sure I should tell you. After all, it is a pretty big secret. Unless you were willing to make a trade. Information for information…”

Lea glanced down as he thought it over.

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” Rourke encouraged. “How do you think she’d take it, knowing her friend wasn’t willing to pony up to learn about her?”

Lea finally looked back up. “Okay,” he relented. “I’ll tell you everything.”

* * *

_You now have only Kida in your party, with Milo as an NPC who follows. Dive beneath the waters of the pool and start swimming! The path ahead will be pretty obvious, with some random encounters sprinkled in. Turns out Shadowflies can sustain themselves underwater, and they don’t even start out in larva form!_

_After swimming through a little bit of a maze, you’ll eventually come upon a wall with a tiled mural. A cutscene begins._

* * *

Sora’s face lit up as he saw the artful mural before him. Two immense beings, like statues of men, held up a multilayered star as a host of kingly figures looked on.

Of course, Sora had no idea what it meant, but he knew it was beautiful.

Kida’s brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of it. Milo took the initiative, swimming forward to locate where in the tile he could see Atlantean writing carved. Kida swam up next to him, offering the crystal around her neck as a light for him to read by.

Sora simply stared up at the star relief. Something about it was giving him a warm feeling. He placed a hand over his heart and clutched it into a soft fist.

Milo gave a start, having figured something out. He pointed upward excitedly, then began to swim to the surface. Kida followed, then Sora.

* * *

They broke the surface in an enclosed space, with only a few feet of air to work with. Kida’s crystal cast everything in a soft blue glow.

“It’s the Heart of Atlantis!” Milo cried.

“Huh?” Sora replied.

“The Heart of Atlantis!” Milo repeated. “All this time, I’d been thinking of it as a power source, and that’s sort of right because it’s what’s keeping all of the people here, the whole city alive! But it’s more than that. The writing talks about it like it’s sentient, like it’s some kind of god!”

“But how can this be?” Kida asked. “Could it perhaps be the same power I saw…” She looked away, muttering to herself. “When the city first sank, there was a bright light. My mother…she was taken away. And we survived the fall.”

“So it is the Heart of a World,” Sora said to himself.

“What’s that mean?” Milo asked earnestly.

“It’s…nothing,” Sora replied. “Just an old story I know.” But the expression on his face betrayed that he was clearly putting together pieces.

“You’d think something this important would’ve been in the journal,” Milo mused. “Unless…” His face fell. “The missing page.” He shook his head; “But that doesn’t matter. We were wrong the whole time. The others, they don’t know how important the Heart is to Atlantis. We gotta go back and tell them before they get the wrong idea and try to siphon it off!”

“Quickly!” Kida urged, diving back under the water.

* * *

_Swim back to the hidden pool._

* * *

Sora, Milo, and Kida broke the surface of the pool together, taking a synchronized gasp. No sooner had they done so than an array of clicks got their attention.

“WHA - !” Sora cried in horror.

There were firearms pointed at them. Held by Rourke, Helga, Vinny, Audrey, Sweet, and Mole.

“SORA!” Donald cried; a glance showed that he and Goofy were tied up, back-to-back, and sat down at the edge of the pool.

“I don’t get it!” Milo cried. “What’s going on? Guys, this isn’t a game!”

“It never was, Milo,” Rourke said with a grin, striding forward to the pool. “Now, why don’t you be a good boy and tell us what you found in the room of the ‘greatest truth’ of Atlantis? Would it have anything to do with this?”

He withdrew a torn paper from his pocket, holding it out. Upon it was etched the star design from the mural below.

“The missing page…” Milo gasped.

“But that means…” Sora recoiled. “If you knew…and you followed us here…” Realization washed over him. “You were NEVER gonna leave this city alone, were you? You wanted to take its Heart for yourself!”

“Bingo,” Rourke said with a grin.

“And all of you!” Sora yelled. “Vinny, Audrey, Mole, Dr. Sweet! Helga, we fought together!”

“It’s nothing personal, kid,” Helga scoffed, tossing her hair.

“You knew why we were in this,” Audrey added. “Trusting us was your first mistake.”

“Look,” Vinny sighed. “Just do as the Commander says and we won’t have any trouble.”

“And what I say,” Rourke demanded, “is that you need to come up out of that water and tell me all about what you found…and if it can open the way to what we came looking for.”

“You can’t do that!” Milo cried. “The Heart of Atlantis is a source of life! It’s like their god! If you take that away, then the entire city will die!”

“Sometimes, to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs,” Rourke replied. “Besides, it’s not like we’ll ever come back to check in. These people don’t have to mean anything to you.”

“You…” Sora saw red. “You’re a MONSTER!”

He burst from the water, Keyblade in hand, rushing Rourke combatively.

Rourke sighed. “Could you take care of this?”

There was a flash. The crash of metal on metal. Sora recoiled back from a hard parry. When he got his bearings, he gasped at the sight before him.

Lea held his Keyblade out, pointed directly to Sora, as though challenging him. His head was turned away, refusing to look Sora in the eye.

“Lea…?” Sora gasped. “What…what are you…”

“You’re not going to ask how we found you?” Rourke taunted. “Or how we know it’s connected to this scrap of paper? Your little friend sang like a bird, first chance he got.”

“Sorry, Sora,” Lea said in a low, somber tone. “I messed it all up again. He promised me something he didn’t have, and I sold you out.”

“What Lea here really learned is not to talk in his sleep,” Rourke insisted. “It clues people in on what you might not expect them to know about. All I had to do was lay down a few bread crumbs, and Lea came running down the whole trail.”

“Then help me stop him!” Sora protested. “Lea, if we work together, we can fight our way out of this! We can save – “

“Don’t you GET IT?” Lea snapped, suddenly glaring at Sora venomously. “This is who I am! This is all I’m good for! Every time I try to help out a friend, every time I try to follow up on what I think is an important bond, all I ever do is ruin it! I’m not even a decent Keybearer. The only time I was ever worth anything was in the Organization. On the Dark side. I’m done trying to run from the truth. If this is how the world rewards me for trying to do something good, then I give up, okay!” He faltered. “I just…I give up.”

“Lea…” Sora breathed.

“I’m done with this,” Lea told him. “With all of this. Rourke’s pals, they’re basically like the Organization. I can do so much better with them than I ever could with you. I’ll let you get off this world, all right, but after that…you’ll never see me again. Better that way for you, anyway.”

“But Roxas!” Sora protested.

“He’s better off too,” Lea replied. “Don’t even tell him I came back. Just…just let him be happy. He deserves more than a friend like me.” His expression and voice hardened; “Now tell us what you found so we can get a move on!”

“If you take it away, the whole city will die,” Milo said. “It’s like an actual heart, one that powers everything!”

Helga trained the barrel of her gun directly on Milo’s head. Then, slowly, smugly, moved it to Kida’s.

“But if it has to be taken,” Milo sighed, “then…there’s a riddle. ‘The Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of our king.’ I read it on the mural that had the truth about the Heart.”

“I hate riddles,” Rourke spat. “But it’s more than we had to go on. That plus the clue we got from the journal should give us the answer.”

“What did you learn from the journal?” Milo seethed.

“Just that we’ll need our little ‘Princess of Heart’ in order to get in,” Rourke said with a sly grin.

“Princess…?” Even more was dawning on Sora. “Does that mean…”

“SHUT UP!” Lea snapped at him, a great flame temporarily engulfing him before settling. At the sight, Kida and Milo reached out to clutch one another.

“He is more powerful than we can challenge,” Kida murmured. “To say nothing of the others’ weapons.”

“There’s no choice,” Milo relented. “We gotta do what he says. If we sacrifice ourselves here…he’ll just find another way in.”

“You heard the guy!” Lea growled, gesturing with his Keyblade. “Now get a move on!”

Sora watched Lea wordlessly, a single tear slipping down his face. Then he found his voice: “If the riddle talked about the king…then that’s where we need to start.”

* * *

_Lea is removed from your party. Retrace your steps from the library up to the throne room. The city will be noticeably darker as you do so, as though the sun has set._

* * *

Kashekim rose, putting out a hand. “Stop!”

“No,” Rourke replied. “I don’t think I will. All signs point to you knowing where the big crystal is, and we’ve got buyers galore waiting on us to deliver it.”

“I will not betray the location of the heart,” Kashekim growled.

“Maybe I wasn’t being clear,” Rourke spat.

He advanced on Kashekim. There was a loud thud. Kashekim cried out, collapsing to the ground.

Kida snarled, cursing Rourke out in Atlantean. Dr. Sweet, however, rushed to the collapsed king, looking his over.

“Rourke, this was NOT part of the plan,” Sweet growled.

“Plans change.” Rourke crossed to Kashekim’s unoccupied throne, reclining on it. “Now, I’m going to count to ten and you’re going to tell me where the crystal is.” He cocked a gun, pointing it at where Audrey and Vinny were holding up Kashekim – looks of uncertainty plastered on both their faces.

“One,” Rourke began. “Two. NINE. T – “

Then it hit him. It was the view that did it, looking out to where the stones before the throne formed in the same symbol that could be found on the Shepherd’s Journal. Slowly, Rourke stood, jaw dropping.

“Ohhh, I get it!” Sora realized. Donald and Goofy had been brought in, still tied up, to be sat beside him, and they nodded as Sora put it together. “The riddle meant the king would be looking right at it if he sat on his throne!”

“Took you long enough to figure that one out,” Donald grumbled.

“But Donald,” Goofy argued, “you didn’t figure it out either until just now, when Sora said it.”

Donald fumed silently.

“Lea,” Sora whispered. “It’s not too late. You could still help.”

“I already told you,” Lea hissed back. “This is all I’m good for, so just let me do what I want!”

“Is this what you want?” Sora posed. “Or is it just what you think you deserve? What do you really want, Lea?”

Lea turned away, refusing to answer.

“You there!” Rourke gestured to Sora. “Why don’t you use that magic key of yours to open up the secret room?”

“I’ll need Donald and Goofy,” Sora replied flatly.

Rourke gave a nod. Vinny and Audrey undid Donald and Goofy’s bonds.

“I’m, ah, supposed to tell you that with Lea on our side, fighting all of us would be kinda useless,” Vinny stated. “Too bad, huh?”

“I really didn’t want it to end up this way, you know,” Audrey sighed. “We really were friends. But…we need this money. You have to understand.”

“I understand,” Sora told her. “I just wish you did.”

Audrey and Vinny looked away from him, in opposite directions.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked out to the center of the throne room, feet splashing in the shallow water. They summoned their weapons, slowly raising them high. Spirals of rainbow light arced up around them as they performed a Trinity.

Suddenly, a circular platform gave way in the floor, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy upon it. It shuddered, slowly lowering itself down to a subterreanean chamber.

Rourke and Helga shoved Milo and Kida onto the platform. Then Helga barked “Lea! You’re coming too!” and Lea obeyed without a word, stepping alongside them.

“Please,” Milo begged. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“What I’m doing is what every explorer has done since the beginning of time, Milo,” Rourke told him. “And if you’d take off your rose-colored glasses, you’d understand that the real world isn’t all friendship and laughter.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Sora said softly. But there was nothing he could do about it now, not while the platform was descending. Down they all went, into the dark.

* * *

The pillar brought them all into a vast, dark cavern; where they landed was the only patch of stony ground before a deep pool of water. Floating near the apex of the cave and providing the only source of light was a luminescent mass of blue that pulsated in brightness, surrounded by enormous stone masks that levitated around it of their own accord like a set of protective shields.

Rourke stepped forward first, grinning madly. “Jackpot.”

The others moved forth to get a better look at the rotating masks and the glimmering Heart within.

Sora gasped in awe. Beside him, Kida’s eyes watered. She whispered: “The kings of our past…”

Immediately, she dropped to her knees, head bowed, and muttered a string of prayer.

Rourke groaned. “Lea, make her wrap it up.”

Lea moved toward Kida, but Milo got there first, glaring at Lea to stay back while he knelt over Kida. Milo gently placed a hand on her back, and she lifted her head.

“Kida,” Milo said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Kida solemnly stood.

Rourke walked to the edge of the solid ground, kicking a pebble into the water. In response, the Heart turned a deep, angry red, warning him that he was not welcome here. Beams like searchlights felt out into the cavern.

“I don’t like this place,” Helga muttered.

“All right, Thatch,” Rourke urged. “What’s next?”

Before he could answer, one of the beams emanating from the heart caught Kida in its spotlight, and the moment it did, its color lightened to a soft, warm blue that spread to the rest of the Heart. The crystal pendant about Kida’s neck stretched up, as though wanting to rejoin with its source.

Kida smiled up at the Heart knowingly. Her eyes filled with a solid blue light as the Heart welcomed her. Slowly, step by step, she advanced toward it, her expression completely neutral.

Milo gave a start toward her; Rourke held him back. As Kida approached the edge of the water, Rourke urged, “Talk to me, Thatch. What’s happening?”

“It’s the Heart of the World,” Sora broke in for him. “She’s a princess, and her heart is filled with Light. She’s special to the whole world.”

Slowly, Kida turned around, framed in blue light from the Heart behind her. Her expression still blank, she said in a low, unearthly voice, Atlantean words that translated to “All will be well, Milo Thatch. Be not afraid.”

Then she turned back to the Heart, a foot stretching out to touch the water. Instead of sinking down in, she strode across the surface of the water, kept afloat by forces unknown. On she walked, leaving gentle ripples wherever her feet touched down.

She reached the point directly beneath the Heart, looking up into its vividly pulsating depths. As she gazed into the inviting warmth, the masks began to move outward, exposing the Heart.

Milo, Sora, and Rourke gasped as they looked on.

Every single beam produced by the Heart converged down directly upon Kida. The light focused, and her crystal erupted with a sudden glow. Kida shut her eyes as a divine force tossed her hair like wind.

Slowly her feet rose away from the water, leaving the final ripples. She traveled up inside the beam, her crystal pointing the way. The masks had peeled back, angled upwards to allow her in. Below, the waters rippled fervently.

Kida was taken into the Heart. The masks closed around it; through the gaps between them, one could see Kida’s illuminated silhouette, radiant beams of light pouring off it. As the light grew brighter, the masks spun, faster and faster.

Then they slowed; the Heart’s light was condensing, solidifying around Kida’s form. The stone ceased to whirl. Kida turned back toward the shore, her body blue and luminescent with the power of the Heart. A few more crackles radiated, and shimmers poured over her.

Then, slowly, she descended, arms stretched out to either side, toes pointed downward like the feet of a ballerina. Milo’s glasses caught a bright blue reflection of her passing through the air before them. “Kida…” he whispered.

A circle glowed on the water as she touched down, standing once more on the surface of the pool. Her eyes flicked open: two radiant pools of pure light.

“Kida…?” Sora said tentatively.

Slowly, Kida made her way back to the shore. And as she did so, the great stone masks collapsed into the water around her, one by one, causing immense, violent splashes. She reached the bank, translucent, staring dead ahead.

Rourke reached out.

“No, don’t!” Milo cautioned. “Don’t touch her.”

“Kida?” Sora attempted. “Are…are you okay?”

She didn’t say a word. She simply turned around and stared, statue-still, back at the pool.

* * *

They loaded her up into a metal capsule, slamming her inside. Then they put that capsule in the back of a truck at the edge of the city, preparing to drive back across the bridge.

Milo, Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched, awestruck, from among a crowd of Atlanteans that had gathered to watch the kidnapping of their only hope in real time. Rourke gestured to give the order, and Vinny, Audrey, Mole, Dr. Sweet, and Lea hoisted the capsule up onto the vehicle.

“You won,” Milo said venomously. “You’re going to destroy an entire civilization, but hey. You got what you wanted. Audrey, you’re gonna have enough money to build your dad’s new shop now.”

Audrey turned her back on him, storming into the driver’s seat of the truck.

“And Vinny,” Milo went on. “You’ll get to open a whole chain of flower shops.”

Vinny also refused to look at him, tightening the chains on Kida’s enclosure.

“But at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” Milo spat. “Money.”

“Lay off, will ya?” Lea grunted. “Some of us are here for the job.”

“You know what the worst part is about this, Lea?” Sora said somberly. “It’s the fact that ever since you came back after betraying the Organization for me, for Roxas, I never doubted you for a second. You were willing to give up everything so that someone who was only connected to your best friend could help his own friends. And then you became one of my friends. One of my best friends. I always thought that at the end of it all, you and me and Roxas could hang out together. I know you’ve done bad things. But you’ve always had a reason. There are plenty of people who act horrible because it’s fulfilling for them, or because that’s what they really want. But you’re not like that, Lea. And even now…I still believe in you. Whatever caused you to change your mind and turn on us, I know you had good intentions. If you’d just give this up and talk about what happened, we could work it out! You’re not cursed, or rotten! You can always start over! You don’t have to give up!”

“You don’t know me,” Lea said somberly. “You think you do. But the truth is…well, I’m just a stranger to you. Not one of your best friends.”

“We both know that’s wrong,” Sora told him. “If this is really, REALLY what you want…then go ahead. But if you want to come back…I’ll be right here for you. We all will. It’ll be okay. I promise, Lea.”

Lea could take no more. He turned his head and walked away, toward the convoy.

Rourke stepped out in front of Sora, Milo, Donald, and Goofy. “Now, I know I’m forgetting something,” he murmured. “What is it? Crystal, cargo, crew…oh, yeah.”

He drew back a fist and hit hard. Milo tumbled to the ground.

“MILO!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelled in unison, hurrying to kneel beside him and tend to his bruise.

“Think of it this way,” Rourke said. “You were the ones who discovered Atlantis. And now you’re part of the exhibit.” He turned back to the convoy; “MOVE OUT!”

The vehicles revved up and took off, taking the crew, Lea, and Kida out of sight. In the wake of the convoy’s departure, the crystals that hung about the necks of the Atlanteans present dimmed visibly, and a soft panic rippled through the crowd.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Milo insisted softly as he got to his feet. “I just…wish I could say the same for everybody else.”

“Aww…” Donald hung his head low.

“We should go back an’ check on the king,” Goofy suggested. “He wasn’t doin’ so well when we left.”

“Good idea.” Milo nodded. “Sora, lead the way.”

* * *

_Go back through the city to the throne room yet again. Kida is now removed from your party as well._

* * *

Kashekim was laid out on a chaise longue, unmoving. When Sora saw his prone state, he broke into a run; “YOUR MAJESTY!”

Kashekim turned his head with great effort to regard Sora. “Keybearer…”

Sora fell to his knees beside Kashekim. “I’m so sorry,” he mourned. “You said the Keyblade would ruin everything, and…and I feel like it has.”

“No, Sora.” Milo came up behind him. “You just played along with what I started. I was the one who brought that evil here.”

“Where is my daughter?” Kashekim rasped.

“She fused with the Heart of the World,” Sora informed him. “Then…they took her away.”

“So she has been chosen,” Kashekim murmured.

“Chosen?” Donald asked. “What does that mean?”

“The crystal feeds upon the emotions of all the people of Atlantis,” Kashekim explained, “and in return, it gives us life. Over time, it developed a consciousness of its own, and great power.”

As he went on, the images flashed before his eyes. The flight of the Leviathan leading the Atlantean fleet. The collapse of the waters against Atlantean walls. The distress siren sounding.

“I sought to use that power for violence. The crystal rebelled, and our empire sank beneath the waves. The one chosen was my beloved wife.”

He remembered it so clearly. Her, rising up to the Heart in a beam of light. Young Kida falling to her knees and sobbing for her mother.

“I buried the crystal beneath the city in order to prevent such a fate from ever happening again. To Atlantis, and to my daughter. She was to take my burden as ruler of Atlantis when the time was right.”

He could now focus on the scene before him again. Sora, Milo, Donald, and Goofy looked sadder than ever.

“But now,” Kashekim insisted, “that burden falls to you.” He removed the crystal pendant from about his neck, passing it to Milo.

“Me?” Milo said in shock. “But this…this is all my fault.”

“You can read the texts,” Kashekim reminded him. “And your companion wields the Keyblade. Together, you can find a way to return the crystal, to save my daughter…to save Atlantis.”

Sora rose, nodding firmly. “We won’t let you down, your majesty.”

There was the sudden sound of an immense boom, like thunder. The ground shook.

“A storm?” Sora wondered. “How is that happening underground?”

“Could be somethin’ bad!” Goofy gasped. “Now that there ain’t a Heart to protect Atlantis…”

“We gotta hurry!” Donald realized. “Milo, you stay with the king!”

Milo nodded. “Got it.”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy took off at a frenetic sprint.

* * *

_Outside, you will notice the sky is completely darkened. There will be a flash of lightning on the horizon, so big you can’t miss it, before you’re allowed to move._

_Sora:_ What? How is that happening?

 _Donald:_ We better get over there!

_Head in that direction. There will be a new path opened up that allows you to access a brand-new area: a large, open field. Enter it to trigger a cutscene._

* * *

“AaaaaAGH!” Larxene gave a grunt as she extended a hand to the sky, beckoning a thick bolt of lightning to strike the field. Yet again, the isle was shaken. “RrrrAAAGH!” She called down another.

“HEY!” Sora yelled from behind; Larxene turned around to see him, Donald, and Goofy approach.

She sniffed derisively. “Hmph. Should’ve known you’d show up to ruin the fun.”

“You’re with the Organization, aren’t you?” Sora cried.

“Gee, what was your first clue?” Larxene mocked.

“What’re ya doin’ here?” Goofy asked.

“Well, I was going to check in on the resident princess,” Larxene explained. “But it sounds like she ran off and took the city’s only defense mechanism with her. So I had a brilliant idea. If I stir up enough trouble that Atlantis gets broken, she’ll have to come back, and then I can see what she can really do! But if she doesn’t…well, at least I’ll have had some fun bringing this city to its knees.”

“No way you can bring down Atlantis all by yourself!” Donald accused.

“Oh?” Larxene replied. “Do you doubt me? You don’t even remember me. And if you did remember me, well, you might actually have a point. But I’ve seen the light…in a metaphorical sense only. I’ve just figured out that my entire reason for being in the Organization is because I have Dark power you can’t even imagine.”

She threw both hands up to the sky; a line of lightning bolts struck behind her, causing another tremor. “See?” she taunted. “I can sink this city even lower all by my lonesome.”

“Not if we have anything to say about it!” Sora insisted.

“Predictable…” Larxene lowered her arms. “Well, then. Let’s test out your might. I bet you fifty munny you lose.”

* * *

_Battle Larxene! Her moveset is pretty much the same as that of her boss battle from canon III in the Keyblade Graveyard._

* * *

Larxene was thrown back, landing on her feet and skidding. “Oh, come on!” she urged. “I’m only having a little fun!”

“By hurtin’ other people!” Goofy reminded her.

“So?” Larxene scoffed. “I’m in the Organization. That’s what we do. Once you give in to the Darkness, you’ll never want to go back!”

A familiar voice intruded, saying one word: “Wrong.”

And a flaming chakram flew past Sora, striking the unprepared Larxene. She toppled over.

Sora’s face split into a wide grin. He knew who’d said that, who’d thrown that weapon. He leapt to turn around; “LEA!”

Lea saluted; “Get it memorized.”

Standing behind him were Vinny, Audrey, Mole, and Dr. Sweet, all of whom looked ready to rush Larxene at a moment’s notice.

“We thought about what you and Milo said,” Audrey revealed.

“In the end, just wasn’t worth it,” Sweet added.

“Now, we’ve done a lotta things we ain’t proud of,” Vinny remarked. “Robbin’ graves, plunderin’ tombs, double parking…but nobody got hurt. Well, maybe somebody got hurt, but nobody we knew.”

“It was time to defect from the unjust forces!” Mole insisted. “For this most precious of patches of earth!”

“And the people in it,” Sweet said.

“You guys…” Sora looked almost ready to break out sobbing.

“And you were right about me,” Lea told him. “The more I tried to go along with this whole thing for its own sake, the more I realized…it just wasn’t me. And I’m not sure it ever really was. I had my reasons for all this, but they seem so stupid now.”

“HEY!” Larxene shrieked, back on her feet. “I’m still here, you know! Though as long as you’re around, mind telling me what happened to her royal highness?”

“We tried to bring her back,” Vinny explained. “The Commander, he’s got her locked down tight. So we figured we’d pop in back here and pick up some reinforcements.”

“So she’s not even around?” Larxene groaned. “Typical. Well, at least I can finish what I started.”

“Fat chance.” Lea brought out his Keyblade, bracing for battle. “Though I’d like to see you try and take all of us.”

Larxene thought it over. Then sniffed, turning away. “You don’t even know what you’re giving up on. You’re so pathetic.”

“Now you’re just projecting,” Lea called after her.

“Hmph!” Larxene summoned a Corridor and vanished.

The moment she was gone, Lea was almost bowled over by an enthusiastic embrace from Sora. “I know this is the real you,” Sora told him. “You and her…you couldn’t be more different.”

“Hey.” Lea reached around to ruffle Sora’s hair. “I only saw the light ‘cause I had a pretty bright guy lookin’ out for me.”

Sora let him go, backtracking a couple of paces. “So…what happened? Why’d you give up Atlantis in the first place?”

Lea sighed. “Oh, boy…how do I make this quick? See, when I was your age, I had two friends.”

He remembered so clearly. Standing beside Isa in Radiant Garden’s square, the two of them eating sea-salt ice cream.

“One of ‘em was kinda like Riku, I guess. We were always competing and joking around. He was a little rough around the edges, but he had a good heart. …I thought.”

The way Isa used to put him in a headlock and ruffle his red hair.

“And then…well, I guess the other one was like your Kairi.”

The door at the end of the hall in the laboratory basement.

“They were doing some kind of experiments on her at the castle in Radiant Garden. Even, Dilan, all the old crew that made up the first Organization. My other friend and I came to investigate, and we found her.”

Lea and Isa had approached gingerly, gasping at the door.

“Never really saw her. But we talked to her through that door. She didn’t have a name, not that she could remember. They called her ‘Subject X.’”

Lea and Isa had sat down, cross-legged, in front of the door, talking to it. When they heard a voice from the other side, they laughed.

“But then, one day…she was just gone.”

The day Lea and Isa had finally entered the last laboratory only to find it empty, save for a strange suit of blue armor and a Keyblade. They took a few seconds to look around –

“I guess they didn’t want her anymore. So they took us instead.”

The door slamming shut behind them, leaving them in darkness.

“That’s how I got mixed up with the Organization. I wanted to use the power I got there to try and find her again. My other friend had the same idea, but…that power changed him.”

Isa, in his mind. Fading into Saïx.

“I lost him to the Dark. Maybe because I just didn’t try hard enough. Maybe because I encouraged him to go along with it. And that’s how I went from having two best friends to having none. Well…until I met Roxas.”

And now Roxas was all that filled Lea’s mind’s eye.

“And the rest is history,” Lea concluded, looking at Sora in the present time once more. “Rourke heard me talking in my sleep, saying the words ‘Subject X.’ He made me think he knew about her, and he told me he’d help me find her if I gave up your secret. But that was just a big lie. He doesn’t know anything. It’s just…” His shoulders slumped. “Roxas. Subject X. My other old friend. Every time I try to help a friend out, it all goes wrong, and somebody gets hurt.”

“Then…I’ll help you,” Sora decided. “You said one of them got taken away like Kairi, and the other got lost to the Dark like Riku, right? Well, I brought both of them back, so I can bring back your friends, too!”

“Sora,” Lea sighed, “they’re both gone. One probably doesn’t exist anymore, and the other…well, he’s just a monster now.”

“Oh, yeah?” Sora challenged aggressively. “Wanna bet? ‘Cause I think I can save ‘em both! And then you can have all your friends back! That way, they can tell you how lucky they are to have a friend who’d sacrifice so much for them!”

“Geez, Sora…” Lea turned his head to the side to mask the single tear dripping down his face. “That idealism of yours is gonna be the death of you. But thanks. For being my guiding light.”

“Anytime!” Sora beamed.

“Ah, not to ruin the moment,” Vinny broke in, “but we’ve still got this whole civilization that’s on the brink of collapse, and that princess who needs saving…”

“Right!” Sora cried. “Okay. We’ll go together, and we can get her back!”

“When we were looking around town, we found something that might be able to help,” Sweet stated. “You think you can fly a piece of ancient technology that nobody’s seen in a thousand years?”

“Duh!” Sora replied.

“ALLONS-Y!” Mole bellowed, hoisting an index finger to the sky.

* * *

Rourke and Helga had set up an immense hot-air balloon, threateningly red, in the shaft of the volcano. Kida’s capsule was chained to the bottom of it. On the main platform, Helga and Rourke surveyed the scene.

“Once we break through, we’re home free,” Helga stated.

“I love it when I win,” Rourke said with a grin.

“So,” Helga asked. “What country do you think is going to pay top dollar?”

A new voice, from behind: “I should like to put in a bid.”

Rourke and Helga whipped around to see Maleficent and Pete standing on the platform behind them. They immediately whipped out their guns, aiming them at the strange duo.

“Hey, that ain’t nice!” Pete protested. “And here we were gonna offer you a pretty penny for the cargo you’ve got onboard!”

“How pretty is the penny?” Rourke asked.

“Enough to afford the matter of your wildest dreams,” Maleficent told him. “There is but one stipulation.”

“Always a catch,” Rourke muttered. “Fine. What do you want?”

“We just need you to hold off a buncha numbskulls!” Pete informed him. “Gotta get a head start, y’know!”

“I don’t like this,” Helga muttered.

“Well, I wanna hear ‘em out,” Rourke muttered back. Then, louder: “Tell us why this means so much to you. AND how you ended up down here in a dormant volcano.”

“Very well,” Maleficent replied. “All shall be explained.”

* * *

_You regain control, but now you’re in an Atlantean skimmer flying over the city! There’s a quick tutorial to show you how to accelerate, slow down, control your direction, and fire ammo in flight. Then, once you’ve read up, a fleet of other skimmers – containing Donald, Goofy, Lea, Milo, Vinny, Audrey, Sweet, and Mole – will take off from around you. You can shortcut over the entire city; follow them up to a previously-unreachable cave. This begins a segment of flight where you evade rock protrusions in the more spacious caverns while gunning down Shadowflies and Pteranodestroyers. At the end of this cave, you’ll end up in the volcanic crater._

_Your objective will change to “Stop Rourke’s balloon from ascending!”. The balloon will start slowly rising once you enter; a timer shows you how long you have. Fly around it and shoot down the smaller balloons at its sides to slow it down. Heartless will try and get in your way! Once all the smaller balloons are shot down, the next cutscene ensues._

* * *

Sora and Milo flew at pace with one another. Sora gave Milo a salute; “MILO! GO GET KIDA! WE’LL HANDLE COMMANDER ROURKE!”

“SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN!” Milo called back.

The two skimmers went separate ways. Milo’s headed for the capsule, joining Vinny, Audrey, Sweet, and Mole in flight. Sweet and Audrey reached the capsule first, leaping atop it to begin filing away the connective chains with a bonesaw.

Sora shot up to the platform where Rourke and Helga were riding up and out; Lea, Donald, and Goofy followed eagerly. They leapt off their skimmers, landing on the platform and striking a pose that indicated they were ready for battle.

“Well, well,” Rourke remarked. “Aren’t you just PLUCKY.”

“We’re not letting you take Kida or the Heart!” Sora replied.

“GET ‘EM!” Donald yelled, and no one needed a further indication that they should charge.

* * *

_The battle against Rourke and Helga begins! Both use projectile firearms. Helga also uses speedy kicks while Rourke packs strong punches. Alone, either might be a pretty easy foe, but they cover for each other pretty well – go after one and you’ll have to deal with the fire from the other. Each has a separate health bar; if you defeat one before the other, that villain will slump over, stars circling over their head. Once you’ve defeated the second, the battle is over…or is it?_

* * *

Helga and Rourke skidded back, bracing their fists for another round. It was then that Helga noticed the damage done to the balloon in the skimmer assault; over her shoulder, she glimpsed that the walls of the volcano were going up, not down.

“We’re losing altitude!” she snapped.

“Is that so?” Rourke retorted. “Then why don’t you let me lighten the load?”

He suddenly seized Helga around the waist, lifting her up.

“COMMANDER!” Helga cried. “WHAT ARE YOU – AAAAAAAGH!”

Rourke threw her over the side in one motion, watching her plummet to the stone miles below.

Sora gasped, horrified. “You…YOU…”

“What is it, kid?” Rourke groaned.

“HOW COULD YOU?” Sora screamed. “THAT WAS YOUR FRIEND!”

“Oh, how many times do I – “ Rourke rolled his eyes. “Kid, ‘friends’ don’t matter. The only person in this world who’s ever gonna look out for you is your own self. So stop wasting time and focus on number one.”

Sora, in a blind rage, rushed Rourke screaming. Rourke drew back his fist again.

A smack, and Sora was sent spilling across the platform.

“SORA!” Donald and Goofy cried worriedly.

As Sora struggled to sit up, there was a sudden flash of red and black. Lea had taken advantage of Rourke’s diverted attention, and with one quick strike of his Keyblade, he’d sent Rourke tumbling over the edge, the same way Helga had gone.

“That’s for messing with MY friends!” Lea called after him.

“And that’s what proves he ain’t right about what he said!” Goofy remarked joyfully. “We’ll always look out for each other!”

“Got it memorized?” Lea teased Sora.

Sora laughed, his mood improved.

However, the levity wasn’t to last long. For as Rourke plummeted, he twisted in the air, reaching out for a handhold. And the one he found, the one he latched onto, was the side of the capsule that had just been cut loose from its chains – the other side still held up as Audrey sawed.

She gasped. Rourke, realizing where he was, struggled to the roof, reaching out for her. Audrey’s boot planted into his face, and he went skidding right over the edge again. One of his boots kicked through the window of the capsule, shattering the glass and spilling blue light outward.

As he fell to seemingly his own doom, everyone could see the blue light overtaking him, engulfing him in a blue crystal shell as he screamed.

“Well, ah…that was gruesome,” Vinny remarked.

“What a way to go,” Sweet added.

“Uh, guys…?” Milo said nervously.

Suddenly, Rourke rocketed back up into the air, now entirely crystallized as though he’d been carved from it. His eyes burned like fire; he let out a wordless roar as he flexed, radiating bright blue lights that seared throughout the volcanic shaft.

Up above, Sora, Lea, Goofy, and Donald watched. “Looks like we have one more round,” Sora stated. “You guys ready?”

“Let’s teach him a lesson he won’t forget,” Lea suggested, hoisting his Keyblade up over his shoulder.

* * *

_For the final round with Rourke, you’re aboard the skimmer once more. Lea, Donald, and Goofy will fly around and help give some additional ammo, but mostly, this is all Sora. Rourke will be flying as well, using long-range and explosive magic attacks as well as sharpened crystal projectiles. Use the ammo from your skimmer to bring him down for good!_

* * *

A fiery red beam of light burst from Rourke; he reared back in pain. Then came another, and another. All of a sudden, his crystalline form was riddled with red cracks, and he burst apart, a million shards snowing down to the bottom of the volcano.

“SORA!” Milo yelled, getting the Keybearer’s attention. He, Audrey, Vinny, and Sweet had chained up the capsule to their skimmers, suspending it between them. “WE GOT HER!”

There was a sudden rumble, seemingly shaking the whole world. Mole’s skimmer came up behind the group; “The volcano! She lives! That explosion was the force of tremendous magnitude required to awaken her!”

“What’s gonna happen to the city?” Milo cried.

“You have heard of Pompeii, yes?” Mole replied.

“I want it on record this one was NOT my fault,” Vinny commented.

“Let’s hurry back!” Sora yelled. “We have the Heart of Atlantis now, which means if we bring it back to the city, Kida might be able to use it to save everyone!”

The fleet took off into the caverns once more.

* * *

_Fly back out the way you flew in. This one’s timed! Once you get over the city, you’ve cleared the course._

* * *

The capsule was lowered onto a stone byway, and everyone disembarked their skimmers to crowd around it. Sora and Lea summoned their Keyblades, drawing back and striking in unison, crossways from one another to make an X. All at once, the capsule’s walls burst apart from each other, revealing a sphere of brilliant blue light.

Everything was bathed in a soft blue glow. The carved lines of the stone beneath lit up, as though they were always meant to be activated this way. That web of light spread outward until it blanketed the entire city.

The stone rumbled. The mask-like carvings that had surrounded the Heart down below in the secret chamber burst through the ground in a spray of rock, surrounding it yet again as it rose high into the air like a star. The web of light transferred from the city into the carved masks, illuminating them brightly, and faster and faster they spun, becoming a ring of blue light that encircled the Heart.

A beam like blue lightning struck into the water, and from where it had hit, there rose an immense stone sculpture, humanoid in shape. Its shadow loomed over the city as it moved from a hunch to full height, its blue eyes surveying the far cavern walls that were cracking with orange fissures.

Then a host more of beams shot out at the same time, activating similar statues in a perimeter around the isle. They shrugged off bridges, foliage, and other debris that had covered them over time as they’d lain forgotten. Once they’d all risen, the Heart retracted its beams.

Magma was pouring through the fissures, deadly orange. Chunks of blazing ember fired at the grand statues, which simply shrugged off the impact. The statues waded out to the end of the plateau, where the waterfall had dried up already.

The volcanic lava was thickening, threatening to overtake the whole isle. And the guardians stood silhouetted by it, ready for their destiny.

One clapped its hands, and when it spread its arms apart, the palms left in their wake a glowing blue light. The other statues followed suit, summoning up their own lights. These lights expanded into great blue shields, deflecting the thickening shower of meteorites.

As the lava poured in, a deadly tsunami, the shields built themselves up over Atlantis’ whole in a great shimmering dome. The lava washed over it; from the inside, all could see the burning glow that surrounded the protective dome.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Lea stayed close to each other, in case the guardians failed, in case this was the end.

The dome was enveloped. Then a new shimmer of light crackled over the magma, hardening it into dark stone that kept the city imprisoned. From the top of the stony hemisphere, cracks opened up and spewed blue light, and those cracks traveled down the entire dome, forming Atlantean line designs.

Along those fault lines, the petrified magma crumbled away, leaving the shining dome of protective light beneath. The waters burst forth, reactivating the grand waterfall, and with this pressure, the dome burst, leaving Atlantis exposed to the open air.

The stone masks slowed their spin until it was only a gentle rotation. The Heart glowed: a vow to keep Atlantis safe.

A cheer went up down below. Sora threw his fist into the air, leaping up; “YEAH! YEAH!”

“Not bad!” Lea remarked.

But the missing puzzle piece was revealed when they heard Milo mutter “Kida…”

“Oh, no,” Donald realized mournfully.

“She…she wasn’t there.” Sora settled down, losing his momentum.

Sora, Lea, Donald, Goofy, Vinny, Audrey, Mole, and Sweet gathered around Milo. “Hey, uh…I’m sorry,” Vinny said awkwardly.

“Just like her mother,” Milo said softly. “She sacrificed herself.”

“You mean the crystal swallowed her up?” Donald said worriedly.

“No!” Sora blurted. “I don’t believe that! Something else happened! She’s out there somewhere, and she’s okay!”

“Sora,” Lea sighed. “Sometimes…people are just gone.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Sora replied.

“Hmm.” Goofy thought it over. “Y’know…we had a problem in the past with princesses disappearin’. And the journal called her a Princess of Heart. I wonder.”

Sora gasped; “Somebody took her away!”

Lea shook his head. “If you don’t learn to let this go – “

“Lea, if I find out she’s really, really gone for good, then I will,” Sora insisted. “But for now…I think there’s still a chance. I think I can find her and bring her back. Her, and Subject X, and your other friend!”

Lea cracked a smile. “All right. I’ll have faith, then.”

“Sora.” Milo turned to him. “You know where to look for her?”

“I do.” Sora nodded. “But it’s gonna be a long, hard journey, and you won’t be able to come along. But I think that’ll work out, because Atlantis needs you. You can read the writing and help give them back all they’ve lost.”

“I…I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” Milo admitted. “But I’m not gonna sit back and let things get worse. I’ll have to step up.”

“We believe in ya, champ,” Sweet encouraged. “Not to mention you’ll have us on your side.”

“We figured we’d stick around and help clean things up,” Audrey added. “After all, we did make the mess.”

“This is our big chance to turn our lives around, eh?” Vinny added.

“And there is so much yet to be unearthed…” Mole rubbed his hands together.

Sora smiled. “I know you guys’ll do a great job.”

“Bring her back safe,” Milo told Sora.

“You can count on me!” Sora beamed.

“We all can,” Lea agreed.

* * *

END TITLE CARD: THE LOST EMPIRE

* * *

_You get a new Keyblade for completing this world’s story! “Lost Knowledge” looks to be carved of gray stone, with the Atlantean alphabet letters for “Kingdom Hearts” carved into it in blue. Its first formchange is a spear that swings as a melee weapon; Sora can throw it and it will return to his hand afterward. Lost Knowledge’s second phase is a bow that shoots five target-seeking arrows at once. The finisher consists of Sora firing a single arrow upward; hundreds of arrows then rain down over the battlefield, doing heavy damage._

_You also get a second Summon: the Jack Skellington charm! (Halloween Town is one of the worlds I had really wanted to get into this rewrite, but things were packed full as it is, so take this homage in lieu of a Halloween Town world visit.) The summoning animation consists of the Guillotine Square well appearing before Sora; Jack rises from it as green goo falls off of him._

_Jack and Sora join hands, and by button-mashing, you guide them through a dance-like series of attacks across the battlefield. The finisher, “Frighten,” has Jack pull a scary face as a red glow surrounds him; this does damage to any enemy he’s looking at._

_Unfortunately, due to the story working out the way it did, you won’t get any guest Disney party members should you return to Atlantis and will be saddled with Donald, Goofy, and Lea._

_This brings us to the next interlude…_


	9. Interlude: The Land of Departure and The World That Never Was

_Once you’ve finished both The Caribbean and The Lost Empire, you get this cutscene._

* * *

Sora hummed a little tune to himself as he piloted the Gummi ship away from the world of his latest adventure. Then, all of a sudden, his phone ringtone chimed in, matching his humming exactly.

“Oh!” Sora retrieved the phone, swiping at the screen to see who was calling. “Hey, Ienzo! What’s up?”

“Sora.” Ienzo’s tone was flat, hard. “There’s bad news. It looks like on the front of waking up your friends…things are worse than we thought.”

“Worse how?” Sora asked, recoiling.

“Come to Radiant Garden,” Ienzo told him. “It’ll be easier to explain in person.”

“Okay,” Sora agreed. “I’ll be right there.”

* * *

As Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Lea all walked together into the laboratory of the Radiant Garden castle, they were greeted with Ienzo pacing back and forth. Startled, Ienzo flinched and gave a soft cry.

“Everything okay?” Kairi asked.

“If everything was okay, he wouldn’t’a called sayin’ there was bad news!” Donald chided.

“Unless this is a surprise party,” Goofy said.

“It’s…not a surprise party.” Ienzo sighed, hanging his head. “As it turns out, Even has…disappeared. And so has Dilan.”

“Disappeared?” Sora recoiled, eyes wide. “Someone kidnapped them?”

“I don’t think that’s what he’s saying,” Lea realized. “I remember how Vexen and Xaldin were in the Organization. Always scheming to get ahead. They were two of the most heartless of us all. I’d hoped they’d’ve made a change, but…”

“Sora claimed to have extracted the memories of four individuals,” Ienzo said. “When Even and Dilan disappeared, so did two of those files, if Sora remembers correctly. The timing lines up too well.”

“So…they betrayed us,” Sora realized in dismay.

“Those no-good - !” Donald fumed.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Riku sighed. “Not knowing who we can trust is a scary thing.”

“Well, it was Vexen and Xaldin,” Lea reminded them all. “I think giving them any trust at all was our first mistake.”

“So what happens now?” Aqua asked.

“We still have the files required to awaken Ventus, Roxas, and Naminé,” Ienzo reminded her. “What we lack is the ability to build new vessels to house them. That was going to be Even’s area of expertise. I’m…not entirely certain what we can do now.”

“Ven has a vessel,” Aqua reminded him. “All we need to do is go find him and wake him up.”

“What about the replicas?” Sora asked. “Even can’t make them, but maybe we can.”

“Even was unfortunately a genius in his field,” Ienzo reminded him. “He had learned things about the heart and biology that none of us could even scratch.”

“Yeah, but the guy wrote things down constantly and kept backups of his backups,” Lea recalled. “If we had his notes, it’d be like a how-to manual.”

“Hmm.” Ienzo thought it over. “That is quite true. The process would be difficult…but much easier with Even’s notes as a guide.”

“And I think taking some of his stuff is the perfect way to get back at him,” Kairi insisted.

“He kept everything right here in the lab, right?” Riku asked.

“Well, yes and no,” Ienzo replied. “There are materials here he’s written, but only a few documents that pertain to the Replica Project. That was mostly an undertaking from when he was a Nobody. Now, during those days, he had two laboratories. One was in the World That Never Was, where he could work under Xemnas’ supervision. The other was at our outpost in Castle Oblivion.”

“Castle Oblivion…” Aqua muttered. “That name. It sounds familiar.”

“I think it may have a connection to you,” Ienzo recalled. “When we first occupied the space, there were some strange items we couldn’t explain the existence of, including documentation that referred to the castle as a ‘Forecourt’ and its homeworld as a ‘Land of Departure.’ From what I’ve heard, those are terms from your own homeworld. Perhaps they are one and the same.”

Aqua gasped. “The castle! The Master’s Keyblade created it to protect Ven! I have to go back there to make things right!”

“So let’s make a trip out of it,” Sora suggested. “You can go back and get Ven, and Donald and Goofy and I will come along to find Vexen’s old notes.”

“I’ll have to change Castle Oblivion back into the Forecourt to find Ven,” Aqua said. “Even though many rooms were hidden, I think any room that made it to Castle Oblivion was in the Forecourt to start. We’ll just have to figure out which room became Vexen’s lab.”

“Hey, if we’re going to pick up those notes, I can help with the Never Was part,” Lea pointed out. “Dunno if you remember, but that place was kind of a big part of my non-existence. I can take you right to Vexen’s old quarters.”

“Sounds like we got a team!” Goofy cried.

Sora nodded to Riku, then to Kairi. “You two should take the day off. Riku, we’ll need you in the end when we bring Ven back, since you have the Power of Waking.”

“You don’t wanna get that power for yourself first?” Riku teased. “Prove you can match me?”

“Nah, I know you’ve got my back here,” Sora replied.

Kairi approached Ienzo; “Could you use a lab assistant? We could catch up.”

“I would like that,” Ienzo admitted.

“Then let’s go, everybody!” Donald cried.

They parted ways: Riku and Kairi staying with Ienzo in the laboratory area, and Sora leading Donald, Goofy, Lea, and Aqua out of the room to begin the next adventure.

* * *

_You’ll be fast-teleported to the next couple of areas from one to the other. They’ll open up as locations on the Gummi map that require no Gummi route later when you have free roam before the final stages. For now, these visits will be self-contained, so try and pick up everything you want to now, on the first run._

* * *

Sora didn’t remember that he’d once walked this exact path, from the crossroads in the grass to Castle Oblivion. But he was still filled with a sense of familiarity: an innate emotional knowledge that he had been here, once.

He, Donald, Goofy, and Lea walked alongside Aqua. She took the lead, eyes fixed on the structure ahead: a castle shrouded in darkness, its towers and gables protruding at odd angles.

“It’s just as I remember,” Aqua said softly. “This was a defense mechanism used to protect the Land of Departure if anything bad happened. In this form, the true Forecourt can heal itself from damage, and the castle that takes its place – the one the Master called the ‘Castle of Oblivion’ – is meant to be a labyrinth of confusion, to keep people from getting close to the secrets of its true form.”

“It was a lot of confusion, all right,” Lea chuckled. “I don’t think you even wanna know what went down after you left.”

“I still do!” Sora argued. “I was there for all of it, and I don’t even remember it!”

“I told Ven I would be right back,” Aqua recalled somberly. “But…I’m not even close.”

She slumped, halting in place. Then jolted as she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder.

“Aw, Ven won’t be sore at ya,” Goofy told her. “He’ll understand. Ya did yer best. An’ you came back to get him now, didn’t’cha? I bet once he wakes up, he’ll be real happy to see ya!”

“I’m…not so sure,” Aqua admitted. “I made so many mistakes – “

“Then tell ‘im what you’re sorry for,” Goofy said, “an’ work to be better next time. Friends gotta do that all the time, y’know. Nobody’s perfect!” He smiled brightly.

Aqua smiled back. “Thank you. I hope you’re right.”

She advanced once more. The five stood in a line before the castle itself, facing down its doorway.

Lea gestured to the immense fortress. “You wanna do the honors?”

Aqua gave a firm nod. She stepped forth, calling Master’s Defender to hand. She then took a strong stance, pointing the Keyblade straight out in front of her, toward Castle Oblivion’s doors.

A sigil of a Keyhole appeared in glowing light before her weapon’s point. From it radiated a rainbow of light that washed over the whole castle, emanating out in shockwaves.

Sora, Lea, Donald, and Goofy looked on in utter awe.

Decisively, Aqua drew back Master’s Defender, charging it with light. She thrust it forth, a beam emanating from it into the Keyhole sigil.

A strong force, like a blowing wind, nearly threw the other four completely off balance; they cried out in chorus.

Aqua focused, as she’d done all those years ago when she’d needed to seal her home this way.

The light that cascaded over Castle Oblivion shattered like glass. Castle Oblivion was now drenched in shadow; over top of that, the true form of the Forecourt superimposed itself in light, rising up from the ground. It acted as a blueprint; Castle Oblivion began to shift itself, piece by piece, to fill in the new, correct outline. Towers unfolded from within, shimmering. Then, once the new castle was in place, the dark around it cleared, suddenly replaced with a brilliant blue sky.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Lea, and Aqua now stood – instead of on a dark, earthy lawn – upon a stone mosaic set before the Forecourt, surrounded by pillars and grassy outcroppings. They marveled vocally at the sight before them: clean, orderly, welcoming. The stairway extended before them, leading up to the castle that now looked exactly as Aqua had remembered it.

Her home.

“Nice digs,” Lea complimented. “I like it better this way, to tell you the truth.”

Aqua smiled. “So do I.”

“Let’s go get Ven!” Sora encouraged, taking off up the stairs. And the others followed.

* * *

_When you regain control, you’re inside of the Forecourt of the Land of Departure! Your party is set as Donald, Goofy, Aqua, and Lea. However, no enemies will spawn while you’re in here. Not even Vanitas, since we already took him on back in the digital world._

_Head on up the stairs to the throne room. You’ll right away see Ven sitting on the central throne. There are other doors that branch off from this room, but if you attempt to go through one, you’ll get a message: “Hey, aren’t we forgetting something?”_

_Approach Ven’s sleeping body and use the reaction command “Investigate.”_

* * *

“Heh.” Lea smiled as the quintet approached the comatose boy. “That’s the guy, all right.”

“He looks just like Roxas,” Sora gasped.

“Ven!” Aqua rushed to him, dropping to her knees as she took one of his hands in hers. “Ven, I’m back. I’m here. I’m so sorry it took me so long.” She blinked, and the light shining through the stained glass window behind her sparkled off the tear she shed. “We’ll wake you up soon. I promise.”

“Should we put him on the ship?” Goofy wondered out loud.

“I’m not dragging him all around while we look for the research notes!” Donald argued.

“Right.” Sora nodded. “Let’s go find that paperwork. Then we can come back for Ven.”

He, Donald, and Goofy headed away from the thrones. Aqua remained on her knees before Ven, holding back further tears.

“Hey,” Lea said softly. “You gonna need a minute? I can buy you some time with the others.”

Aqua shook her head, letting go of Ven’s hand and rising to her feet. “I’ll be okay. I just…I can’t believe we’re this close.”

“I know the feeling,” Lea told her, thinking about Roxas.

Aqua nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

_When you regain control, Aqua will say:_

_Aqua:_ The doors that branch out from this hall should lead deeper into the Forecourt. We can start looking there.

_Head out into the door set into the wall to enter a new area. This will be a set of hallways with some twists and turns, a few chests to find, and many doors that don’t open. At the far end will be three doors that do open. They’re painted blue, red, and green._

_The green one is your goal, but you can examine the other two if you want. Beyond the blue is Aqua’s old room, which is painted in shades of blue and has a nautical motif to its décor, with seashells and other such treasures. The red door leads to Terra’s old room, which is painted in reds and earth tones; it’s a more subdued room décor-wise, but has shelves of broken Keyblade pieces and what appear to be trophy cups. The green door will take you to Ven’s room as seen in Birth By Sleep. Approach the desk and use the reaction command “Investigate.”_

* * *

“It’s a box!” Donald proclaimed, pointing to the wooden rectangle, sized to hold a thick stack of papers, that lay upon the desk.

“Good job,” Lea told him. “I don’t know how the rest of us would ever have figured that out.”

“Hey, don’t be mean!” Donald yelled.

“You’re mean all the time!” Lea retorted.

“I don’t see a lock…” Sora was leaning this way and that to examine the mystery box.

“Lemme have a look-see.” Goofy walked forward, hemming and hawing. He made a fist and rapped on the box with his knuckles.

Instantly, the lid became awash with colors and small figures. Goofy recoiled with a yelp, hiding behind Sora.

“Oh, calm down!” Donald groaned as he beheld the new form of the box. “It’s just a board game!”

“Ugh,” Lea groaned. “Leave it to Vexen to put a puzzle in place to guard his stuff. I bet we have to win the game to open it up.”

“I know this game!” Aqua lit up. “This is a game that Terra and Ven and I used to play when we were younger. Vexen must’ve put a charm on Ven’s old game board to turn it into security for his work!”

“Then that means you gotta know how to win!” Sora urged.

“It’s been a while,” Aqua admitted. “I might be a little rusty. But I’ll try!”

* * *

_You’re taken to a minigame: the Command Board from Birth By Sleep. There are no actual Commands used in this play; it’s all about taking territory and racking up points._

_The board itself is a remix of the Land of Departure map from BBS. You play as Aqua, with Terra and Ven as your opponents on the board. As stated, you have to win the game in order to progress. Losing will simply offer you a retry. The points you earn will be translated into munny for your account upon a victory._

* * *

The box popped open; Aqua stepped back in surprise.

“YEAH!” Sora cried. “YOU DID IT!”

Lea put in a hand, rifling through the papers. “Looks like a lot of stuff on the Replica Project,” he remarked. “Probably not all of it, though. Guessing we’ll have to visit my old place to get the rest. And lemme tell ya, it’s not nearly as nice as this.”

“Once we get back to the ship,” Donald said, “we can get Ven settled, and then go there!”

“Then let’s go,” Aqua suggested.

* * *

_You can re-examine the Command Board to play again. You actually get offered three variant boards. You can play Land of Departure with Aqua/Terra/Ven, you can play a Twilight Town map with Roxas/Xion/Lea, and you can play a Destiny Islands map with Sora/Riku/Kairi. Points will transfer to a smaller, proportionate amount of munny upon victory. You can use this to build up some funds._

_When you’re ready, head out. All you need to do is backtrack to the entrance. You’ll be given a prompt: “Ready to go?”_

_Options: “Sure thing!/Maybe not yet…”_

_Select the first to move to the next area._

* * *

Twilight’s View in the Castle That Never Was was a far cry from the Forecourt. Where the Forecourt was bright with light, warm and welcoming, this castle was silver and cold, surrounded by dark skies. Not even the heart-shaped moon hung above anymore, not after the incident Ansem had caused.

As his shoes clicked metallically on the floor, Lea looked around, remarking, “Well, this sure does bring back memories. Not memories I actually wanted, but hey, it’s somethin’.”

“This is really where they kept you prisoner?” Aqua asked. “Making you do what they said with no questions? Making you hurt others for the purpose of building false hope?”

“Welcome to my world,” Lea affirmed.

“Gawrsh,” Goofy said softly. “I’m real sorry it all turned out so bad.”

“Eh.” Lea shrugged his shoulders. “I learned from it.”

“That’s a good way to look at it!” Donald said.

“Now, don’t expect this to be as easy as the Land of Departure was,” Lea warned. “This place is crawling with beings of the Dark. I’ll bet all the munny in my pocket that we’re in for a rough ride.”

“Then I’ll help out!” Sora vowed. “Three Keyblades are better than one, right? And with Donald and Goofy on our side, we can handle anything!”

“Good,” Lea muttered. “’Cause around here…you really can run into anything.”

* * *

_The map for the World That Never Was is truncated slightly; several byways are cut and exits lead directly from one major area to another. Twilight’s View serves as your entry point. From there, the map is as such, with only a couple variants:_

_Twilight’s View - > The Hall of Empty Melodies (ground floor) -> The Hall of Empty Melodies (balcony) -> Proof of Existence. The path blocks off after Proof of Existence, the door to the upper levels sealed by a sphere of light similar to how it was in II._

_The two deviations from the path come in the form of a new door on the ground floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies and a pool of white light on the floor of the Proof of Existence. Try to access either of these too soon and you’ll be blocked by a message: “Let’s not get off track.”_

_Head up to the Proof of Existence on this path. Here, Heartless can and will spawn as random encounters, mostly Shadows and Neo-Shadows. An Invisible will show up on the ground floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies._

_Once you reach the Proof of Existence – which is a safe space from encounters – you’ll be treated to a cutscene._

* * *

“Here we are,” Lea announced. “Most morbid room in the whole place. But also a handy back door to everyone’s quarters. Now all we have to do is – “

He gasped, doing a double take. Then groaned. “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.”

The Proof he was looking for had been smashed, the portal broken and all but missing.

“Is that bad?” Donald asked.

“That one was our way into Vexen’s old place,” Lea explained. “Including his study where he kept his notes. What I forgot about is that Xemnas had a habit of destroying these if the Nobody they belonged to failed him. And Vexen was the first one to fail.”

“So we’re locked out,” Aqua surmised.

“Well…not quite,” Lea realized. “See, some of us were smart and kept backups in case this ever happened while we were still kicking. Vexen in particular was paranoid about it. And now that I’m thinking about it, I remember exactly where he stashed one of his spares. I can’t believe he thought it was a secret.”

“Where is it?” Sora asked.

Lea pointed to the pool of light. “That’s a shortcut. It’ll take us straight there.”

Sora nodded. “Okay.”

* * *

_Step into the pool of light. You’re asked: “Take the shortcut?”_

_Options: “Please and thank you!/I don’t think so.”_

_Select the first to be transported. The whole party will be brought to the hall outside the Gray Area from 358/2 Days. There’s another pool of light to take you back to the Proof of Existence. Head forward into the Gray Area to trigger the next cutscene._

* * *

“Riiiight abouuuut…” Lea stopped and tapped his toe against a glass panel in the floor, one of many identical panels. “Here.”

He summoned up his Keyblade, jamming it into the edge where the panel met the metal of the floor. Lea leaned back with it, attempting to use it as a crowbar. When there was no give, he piped up, “I could use a hand over here!”

Aqua and Sora rushed to his sides, calling up their own Keyblades and plunging them into the same crack on the edge. All three of them were able to pry the panel out of the floor; Lea then moved it aside to reveal beneath it a stele the size of a small door, inset with glass that burned with purple and blue light to frame a black emblem of the Nobody symbol.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Lea chuckled. “Thought he was being smart by hiding it under all our noses.”

“Let’s take it with us,” Aqua suggested. She and Sora knelt, grabbing the stele from either of its ends from the long way.

As they hoisted it up and out, Lea cast his gaze around the room. Goofy had sunk into the plush cushions of one of the couches, and Donald was fishing between the cushions for change.

Lea flinched as a realization hit him. “Oh. So we might have a bit of a problem.”

“What?” Sora asked.

“See, this place should be empty,” Lea reminded him. “Nothing but Heartless. Xemnas went off with the other Xehanorts and Xehanort-adjacents to the Keyblade Graveyard.”

“But it’s not empty, is it?” Aqua asked.

“All the stuff we were taught to notice in recon,” Lea went on. “There’s no dust, there’re rings on the tables from drinks, part of the window is cracked in a way it wasn’t before.”

“AHAAAA!” Donald hoisted high the gold item he’d found in the couch.

“And Saïx would NEVER let us get away with dropping stuff between the cushions,” Lea concluded. “Somebody else has been here. And they might still be in the castle right now.”

Donald examined the item more closely. “Awww, nuts. It’s not a coin!”

“Hang on.” Sora approached, putting out a hand. “Lemme see that.”

“It’s worthless anyway.” Donald forked it over into Sora’s outstretched hand.

Sora examined the item on his palm: a small piece of gold, cut into an asymmetrical shape. “Where have I seen this before…?”

Then it hit him. When Kida had first removed her mask in the caverns surrounding Atlantis. It was one of her earrings.

“WAH!” Sora recoiled. “This belongs to Kida! This might be where she was taken!”

“Then let’s not stop at the notes,” Aqua suggested. “We don’t leave until we figure this all out.”

“Sounds scary,” Goofy said in a trembling voice. Then he steeled himself; “But we’re gonna do it for our friends!”

* * *

_You have control and can explore the Gray Area. There are some chests here you can pick up, and some of the city lights shine through the window-wall for ambience. When you’re done here, head back out to the light pool and return to the Proof of Existence. Approach Vexen’s Proof (the only one that triggers a reaction command) and use the command “Install.”_

* * *

The stele was in place, glimmering blue and purple around the black Nobody emblem.

“Let’s go,” Lea said, walking into it, absorbed by the glass.

Aqua nodded to Sora, Donald, and Goofy; “You first. I’ll watch your back.”

One by one, they filed in after Lea.

* * *

The room was filled with books and documents, spread over an austere desk and several shelves. A single window offered a view into a black night.

Lea pushed away a tall white chair to better reach the desk, picking up the topmost binder and flicking through it. “Yep,” he announced. “This is what we want. As far as replicas go, anyway.”

“But that doesn’t tell us anything about our mysterious intruder,” Aqua filled in.

“Maybe one of these books has a clue!” Goofy suggested, walking over to the shelf.

“Goofy, no!” Donald chided. “Those books were written a long time ago! We need to know what’s going on right now!”

Goofy had already pulled a book from the shelf – only to find that it was actually a cleverly disguised lever. He yelped as there was a flash of white light; a shining line illuminated on the wall, tracing back to the stele portal.

“Looks like Goofy was right after all,” Sora said mischievously, nudging Donald. “The book was a clue.”

Donald muttered unintelligible frustrations.

* * *

_You’ll find yourself in the Proof of Existence. You can go back into the stele and examine Vexen’s study once more; the room’s name is “Pedagogue’s Confinement.” There is a chest to find here if you backtrack – the accessory within gives you Blizzard resistance._

_In the Proof of Existence proper, a white line is lit up on the floor, tracing from the stele to the previously blocked exit upward. That passage is now unblocked, and you can head on up to the Altar of Naught._

* * *

It was the place where Xemnas had once serenaded Kingdom Hearts itself. Without the distinctive heart-shaped moon hanging low in the sky, it seemed desolate: the part of Never Was that most certainly should not be.

“No intruders here,” Donald remarked.

“Great,” Lea sighed. “The castle’s huge! We don’t have time to search the whole place.”

Sora, however, was fixated on the floor. He hadn’t been up here since the clash with Xemnas, but he wasn’t entirely certain the floor of the Altar of Naught had always had a Keyhole at its center.

“Huh?” He tilted his head. “I wonder…”

Sora approached it, summoning his Keyblade. The weapon went point-down into the Keyhole. The lines that made up the Keyhole illuminated, spiraling outward over the floor of the Altar.

“Good catch, Sora!” Aqua congratulated.

A bright light enveloped the entire Altar. When it cleared, Sora, Aqua, Lea, Donald, and Goofy found themselves looking around an entirely different area. Floating in blackness, it appeared to be a circular glass platform bordered by enormous clockwork. Seven crystal hourglasses, angular in shape, hovered at its border, their sands purple, orange, yellow, red, green, blue, and pink.

“Whoa!” Sora gasped.

“Woooowwww!” Donald said in awe.

“Never seen this place before,” Lea remarked. “Probably wasn’t supposed to. That’s why the Superior stood on top of it this whole time.”

“But why does it seem familiar?” Sora muttered. He pounded a fist into the other palm; “THAT’S IT! Riku told me about this place! This is where he fought the past version of Xehanort, the one who was able to travel through time!”

“That sure would explain the hourglasses,” Aqua said, her eyes traveling over them. Five of them had sand in their bases, but two had the sand up in the top, blocked from sifting down. Then she spotted the reason for that. “There’s someone in there!”

They rushed to the purple hourglass first. A woman lay inside, suspended in the lower half, unconscious. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber, a soft smile upon her face.

“RAPUNZEL!” Sora cried. “Oh, no…” Realizing what this meant, he turned and barreled across the Sanctum of Time, stopping short before the blue hourglass – the only other one in that condition. It, too, contained a sleeping woman. “KIDA!”

“Someone’s been collecting princesses,” Aqua said sharply. “Almost like the old Princesses of Heart. There…couldn’t have been more of them, could there?”

“Who cares?” Donald yelled. “We gotta get ‘em out!” He raised his staff, pointing it at Kida’s hourglass prison. With a cry, he cast a Fire spell that simply bounced off the exterior of the crystal.

“Not so fast, there!” a gravelly voice laughed from behind them all, in the center of the Sanctum. “You didn’t think I was gonna let you lunkheads just run off with our princesses, didja now?”

The five whirled to behold the speaker. “IT’S PETE!” Goofy identified.

“Heheh!” Pete laughed triumphantly. “What was yer first clue?”

Aqua’s Keyblade came to hand; “What do you want with the princesses?”

“Why, haven’t ya heard?” Pete asked. “Ever since the whole Door to Darkness fiasco, most of the princess powers went and got passed down. All but your little redhead friend, but she’ll come later.”

“You’re not getting near Kairi!” Sora threatened.

“Or you’ll what?” Pete countered. “Like you’ve done a good job of keepin’ me down so far! I’ve lasted longer than those Organization types, I’ll tell ya that! But that’s not the point here. We’re roundin’ up the NEW hearts needed to open a NEW door! The door to the nexus of the worlds: Scowla ad Caylum!”

“The nexus of the worlds…?” Sora repeated.

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Lea admitted.

“He means ‘Scala ad Caelum,’” Aqua clarified. “But…I’m not sure how I know that. I think Master Eraqus must have mentioned it…but then why wouldn’t he tell me what it was?”

“Well, we ain’t gonna just let ya get to that world!” Goofy spat. “I dunno why you’d want it, but since you’re Pete and you’re workin’ with Maleficent, it can’t be anythin’ good!”

“It’s one hundred percent certified pure evil, that’s for sure!” Pete laughed. “And there ain’t nothin’ you goody-two-shoes can do about it! This time around, I’VE got the friends to be MY power, and you can’t stand up to all of us at once!”

“Oh yeah?” Donald growled. “All I see is one big bully! Let’s take him down!”

Weapons were summoned. “All right, guys!” Sora encouraged. “This’ll be easy!”

* * *

_Battle Pete in the Sanctum of Time! His moveset will be similar to that he had in KHII. However, instead of the traditional Rowdy Rumble, you’ll fight him to a remix of “Squirming Evil” from KH1. Pete is altogether a pushover, and you’ll have him down in no time._

* * *

“Ggghhhhhh…” Pete stamped his feet in anger. “That’s it! I’m outta here!”

He turned and bolted. A Corridor of Darkness opened up, allowing him to escape.

“YEAH!” Sora cried, and Donald, Goofy, Aqua, and Lea cheered with him. “WE DID IT!”

“Now we can get back to business!” Donald proclaimed. They all turned back around to face the hourglasses.

There stood Hades. “Hiya, hotshots,” he said casually. “How ya doin’?”

“Hades,” Aqua growled.

“Wait a minute,” Lea realized. “How do YOU know about this guy?”

“Huh?” Sora added, looking at Lea. “When did YOU have a run-in with Hades?”

“Eh, what can I say?” Hades replied. “I always was the afterlife of the party. Anyhoo, I hear you’re trying to take away our key to the worlds, and I gotta say, not too happy about that. In fact, the more I think about it, first you take Olympus from me – “ His skin flashed from blue to red. “THEN you try to take away our failsafe to really and truly ruling the cosmos, and actually – “ His flames erupted around him in a great pyre. “I would say I’m FUUUUUURIOUS RIGHT NOW! You thought I was a piece of work before? You’re about to learn what happens when you MESS WITH A GOD! AND THIS TIME, I TAKE NO PRISONERS!”

* * *

_Put “Squirming Evil” back on, because it’s time for another conflict! This time, it’s a chase comparable to your first encounter with Hades in KHII. A beam of light will allow you to leave the Sanctum of Time so you can run from the Altar of Naught back down through the castle. Wherever you go, Hades will end up in the same room, hurling fiery attacks. You can’t actually do damage to him; you just have to avoid and keep running!_

_Things change up once you get to the balcony tier of the Hall of Empty Melodies…_

* * *

“I think we lost him!” Sora panted as he led Lea, Aqua, Donald, and Goofy onto the balcony with no Hades in tow.

“Gawrsh,” Goofy remarked, “he seems even stronger than the last time!”

“I don’t like how easily he just gave up,” Aqua stated. “This is a trap. Something worse is waiting for us.”

“Oh, yeah?” Lea scoffed. “Bring it on!”

A quite dramatic voice sounded out; “You’ll WISH you hadn’t said that, boy!”

In an eruption of red, Jafar, in the body of a genie, rose up before them all.

“Now, wait just a minute!” Goofy pointed out. “You’re a genie! An’ genies got rules! You can’t take any of us out for good!”

“Oh, I can assure you,” Jafar boomed. “When I remove your hearts, you’ll be very much alive! Perhaps your Heartless can serve OUR cause!”

“Get ready, everybody!” Sora yelled.

* * *

_Fight Genie Jafar! This is similar to the KH1 battle with one key difference: you have to hit him instead of his lamp. He’ll summon enormous chunks of rock and magma to hurl at you. The good news is that the battlefield will open up – you can jump down to the lower level, or ride back up on a railing. You’ll need plenty of room for this one! (Also, yes. Squirming Evil.)_

* * *

“WHAT?” Jafar flinched. “He summons me AT THIS MOMENT?” He glowered at Sora and company. “THIS ISN’T OVERRRRRR!” Jafar howled as he dissipated into crimson smoke. On the way out, however, he cast his final spell with a flourish of both hands, sending a red shockwave over the Hall of Empty Melodies.

There was a sudden tremor. The entire castle shook, nearly throwing Sora and friends off balance. Across the Hall of Empty Melodies, an entire segment of the wall collapsed, blocking the passage out.

“Not good!” Sora wailed.

Lea’s eyes alit upon the other door, the one off to the side that they’d passed earlier. He knew this castle like the back of his hand; this would work. “Over there! There’s another way out!”

* * *

_Get to the lower level and hurry to the new door. This will take you to Where Nothing Gathers: the room where the Organization met upon their thrones._

* * *

“Almost home free!” Lea promised as the group charged across the conference room.

Yet again, a new voice interrupted from above: “I wouldn’t be too sure of that, angelfish.”

Ursula lay languidly across the tallest of the thrones. “Such an austere room, don’t you think?” she chuckled. “Why, I’m tempted to take matters into my own tentacles and make this a throne room fit for a queen! Let’s start with THIS!”

The center of the room shimmered. A cauldron filled with bubbling brew appeared in it, toxic smoke emanating from the surface of the liquid.

“And now,” Ursula announced, sliding off the throne to swim through the air as easily as she’d done underwater, “to haul in the catch of the day!”

* * *

_This battle echoes Ursula’s first boss battle in KH1. The difference is that instead of Flotsam and Jetsam, her assistance comes from the smoke pouring from the cauldron. Stay in it too long and you’ll start seeing your HP drain. Ursula will fly about the battlefield, spinning to attack while mostly staying out of reach. Overload the cauldron by casting magic spells to create a shockwave that will temporarily knock her out and bring her down to your level, floating only a few feet above the ground. She’ll wake up eventually; you’ll need to knock her out at least three times, depending on how efficiently you attack while she’s down. (Also: Squirming Evil.)_

* * *

“I’ve had about enough of this!” Ursula proclaimed. “I’ll deal with destroying you later! For now, just STAY OUT!”

She threw her arms out to either side, and there was a great glow of purple that filled Sora’s vision. When it cleared, he, Donald, Goofy, Lea, and Aqua were back at Twilight’s View, their way into the castle barred by rubble.

“NO!” Sora cried, rushing back to the blocked door.

Aqua skidded out in front of him; “Sora, don’t! They’re more powerful than we are right now. I’m not letting you get lost to them! Not now!”

Sora faltered, drooping. “But Rapunzel…Kida…and what about Kairi?”

Aqua’s own face fell. “There’s not much we can do right now. But we won’t let them get away with this. We just have to be smart about it.”

“She’s right, y’know,” Lea offered. “Sometimes, you can’t just rush a problem head-on. You gotta do your homework, collect information. Then you’ll figure out the way forward.”

“And remember, Sora!” Donald added. “Ven still needs us to wake him up!”

“And Riku’s waitin’ for ya back at Radiant Garden!” Goofy said.

Sora relented. “Okay. I’ll let it go for now. But this isn’t over.”

Reluctantly, he turned and followed the others out of the castle exit.

* * *

Sora burst into the Radiant Garden laboratory with Donald, Goofy, Aqua, and Lea in tow. Aqua had the unconscious Ven slung over her shoulders, riding piggyback. As Sora yelled “WE’RE BACK!”, Donald and Goofy leapt into the air, arms spread, for emphasis. Behind them, Aqua muffled a giggle, and Lea suppressed a chuckle of his own.

Riku, Kairi, and Ienzo had been chatting, standing as though points of a triangle; they all turned to see the group that had entered. “You made it,” Riku said with a smirk.

“And you’re surprised?” Sora put his hands on his hips.

“Do you have what we need?” Ienzo asked.

Lea stepped forward, presenting the texts they’d collected. “It’s all here.”

Ienzo scooped up the books. “And Ventus?”

“He’s right here,” Aqua said, shrugging a little.

“He truly does look the spitting image of Roxas,” Ienzo said in awe. “Well, let’s get him set up. There’s nothing stopping us from awakening him immediately.”

Aqua and Ienzo worked together to get Ven onto one of the cots. Ienzo attached several electrodes, loading the “Ventus” file on the laboratory computer to begin uploading it to his body.

“The final piece we’ll need is the Power of Waking,” Ienzo stated.

“I still don’t have that,” Sora told him. “I know Master Yen Sid wanted me to learn it, more than anything else. But…I don’t see why.” He smiled up at Riku. “Because there’s already a better Master than I could be who does know how to use it. And we’re all lucky enough to be his friends.”

Riku was taken aback. Then he laughed nervously; “Don’t go and get all mushy on me, Sora!”

“If you wouldn’t mind, Riku,” Ienzo said.

Riku nodded. “Okay.” He stepped forward, facing Ven, taking a deep breath. He shut his eyes. “Now, all I have to do is – “

* * *

Riku stood on a rounded stained-glass floor, one that depicted Ventus reclining in its curve. He was bordered by the old crests of the Keybearers of his time, and in the background was a design made up of Wayfinder charms: blues and reds surrounding a single green star.

Riku stepped forward. “Ven?” he asked.

The voice came from all around him: “I know you. You’re Riku.”

“Heh…” Riku looked down at the glass. “I probably wasn’t the one you were expecting. It was Sora you came to all those years ago, when your heart was broken. He was the one who kept you safe. I’m sorry you got stuck with me.”

“But I’m not,” Ven argued. “You were the one who told Sora to open his heart and listen. I remember. He let me in because of you. And from then on, you always protected Sora. You might’ve gone astray for a little while, but in the end, you kept fighting for him. And when you protected him, that meant you protected me too. You’ve been there to watch over me this whole time. I can’t thank you enough, Riku.”

Riku was moved, so much that at first, he didn’t have the words. At last, past a somber smile, he managed, “Ready to wake up, Ven?”

“Yeah,” the voice said from all around him. “It’s time.”

Riku focused in on his Keyblade, conjuring up a swirl of light that brightened until it engulfed him completely, blocking everything else out of sight.

* * *

In the laboratory, Riku pried his eyes open. “Is he…?”

There was a shift on the cot. Ven twitched. Groaned. Then laboriously opened his own eyes.

“VEN!” Aqua barreled toward him as he sat up; she scooped him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

“A…qua…?” Ven said hoarsely. “How long was I asleep?”

“Too long.” Aqua squeezed him tighter. “But you’re back now.”

“And…Terra…?”

Aqua fell away from Ven, stepping back. “Terra’s still out there,” she admitted. “But we’ll find him – “

Ven scowled. “Maybe he doesn’t want to come back. Not after what you did to him.”

“Ven!” Aqua gasped.

“You were the one who pushed him away!” Ven reminded her angrily. “You never trusted him, not since you became a Master! And after that…‘Do as I say and go home.’ Does that ring a bell?”

“Ven, I’m sorry!” Aqua attempted. “I’ve made so many mistakes. I just want to start over.”

“How do I even know you tried to find me to wake me up sooner?” Ven growled. “After all…that’d make me your problem again, wouldn’t it?”

“Ven, PLEASE – “ Aqua protested.

“I don’t wanna hear it.” Ven slid off the cot, storming toward the exit. “I can’t look you in the eye right now.”

“Wait, Ven!” Sora reached out to him. “You don’t understand – “

“Oh, I UNDERSTAND!” Ven yelled, picking up the pace, bolting out of the lab.

Aqua watched after him, faltering. Sora immediately looked to her and promised, “I’m gonna go find him. He’s probably just angry ‘cause he’s got a lot to deal with right now. This’ll blow over.”

“I…” Aqua turned away. “Maybe I deserve this.”

“Nonono, it’ll be okay!” Sora argued. “Just…let me go talk to him.”

“We’ll go, too.” Riku and Kairi stepped up to Sora’s sides. Riku was the one who had spoken, and continued to do so; “Ven and I have a connection. I think I can get through to him.”

“I’ll do what I can, too,” Kairi added. “Even if it means knocking some sense into him.”

Donald and Goofy skidded in to either side of the trio. “We’ll help!” Goofy announced.

“I don’t even know if it matters, whether or not we’re still friends,” Aqua admitted. “I’ve crossed some lines that can’t be taken back. Maybe the ship already sailed. But if nothing else, I need to be sure Ven is safe. Please…bring him back so he can be okay.”

On that note, Sora turned and sprinted out of the lab, with Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku following.

* * *

_Head out into the town square. As usual, party members are Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku._

_Sora:_ I see him up there! On that roof!

_You’ll be able to hop up onto the roof of Scrooge’s ice cream shop. Ven is sitting there, dangling his legs over the edge. The cutscene begins once you’re next to him._

* * *

Ven gazed up at the castle towers morosely. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi approached him slowly from behind, watching him watch.

“Hey,” Sora said softly. “You doing okay?”

Ven sighed, his shoulders slumping. “No. This world isn’t anything like I remember it. Nothing ever will be again.”

Sora took the initiative, sitting down beside Ven. “Aqua wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Is that it?” Ven snapped at him. “Or does she want you to make sure I’m following her orders?”

“You know she only got angry because she cares about you,” Kairi argued.

“How can anyone who really cares about me make me feel so hurt?” Ven asked. “Her and Terra both. In the end…I didn’t know who my real friends were.”

“Sometimes…friends can hurt each other if they’re not careful,” Sora mused. “Not everything’s perfect all the time, when people care about each other. But I don’t think Aqua’s bad, or that she ever meant to hurt you.”

Riku nodded. “Sometimes, people make bad choices. And maybe they’ll never feel regret. But maybe they’ll want to make up for what they did wrong. If someone wants to apologize, you should listen to them, and then let their actions speak for themselves.”

“Besides,” Goofy said. “If all this is new to ya, wouldn’t it be better to have somebody on your side who knew what you were goin’ through?”

“Aqua didn’t have it easy these past few years either!” Donald barked. “Didn’t you know she was wandering the Realm of Darkness while you were taking a nap?”

“The Realm of Darkness…?” Ven repeated. “How – why – “

“She spent all that time looking for a way to get back to you,” Sora told him. “And to Terra. The thought of you two guys gave her hope that one day, she’d be able to come home. Just like she promised you.”

Ven turned and looked to the horizon once more, visibly perturbed. “I just…can’t believe how awful she was to Terra and me. And how Terra ended up turning on me and her in the end, too. I know, deep down, she didn’t want us to break apart…but that’s what happened anyway. It feels like I should be able to forgive her. But it also really, really hurts to even think about doing that.”

“Then wait,” Riku suggested. “Take some time to yourself to think things over.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Goofy asked. “We were s’posed to bring him back to safety, after all – “

“I can take care of myself!” Ven snapped. “I don’t always need someone else to protect me!”

“It’s not that dangerous here in the city,” Kairi reminded them all. “The Restoration Committee did a pretty good job flushing out all the Heartless, and the new Organization hasn’t been spotted here. I think we should just let him be.”

“Good call.” Sora put a hand on Ven’s shoulder, looking at his profile. “I know you’ll be safe. But we want to make sure your heart is healing, too.”

Ven looked straight down at the street below, sheepish. “Thanks.”

Sora hoisted himself up. “Okay. Let’s go.”

* * *

As Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy headed back through the town square toward the castle, they were suddenly aware of two squabbling voices.

“You know,” a high-pitched voice said, “we wouldn’t be in this whole mess if you would just ASK FOR DIRECTIONS!”

“Am not needing directions,” a deeper voice replied. “Evil genius knows exactly where we are going.”

“Oh yeah?” the higher voice retorted. “Then where ARE we going, Mr. Smart Guy?”

Sora looked over to the source of the disturbance. It appeared to be a couple: one male, one female (or presenting as such, anyhow). Neither was human; that much was apparent. The man was very large, with purple-black skin and four eyes on his rounded head. The woman was small and reedy, with green skin and a single bulbous eye, as well as three legs beneath her skirt. They’d both dressed up in Radiant Garden couture, with all the belts and buttons, and it was clear that the man was wearing a false mustache and the woman a wig in order to fit in.

The large man folded his arms. “Am not telling you. You have annoyed me with your constant nagging.”

Sora was about to simply move on, but Kairi dealt him a light punch to the upper arm. “Oh!” Sora realized, turning to head on over to the bickering couple. “Hey! Did I hear you say you needed directions? I know this place really well!”

The two strangers gaped at Sora, visibly unprepared for anyone having actually addressed them. After a while, the large man cleared his throat; “Am not NEEDING directions, but perhaps would be helpful to hear perspective of native to this planet.”

“What he means is a local!” the skinny woman corrected. “We are definitely a normal human couple from this world, and we’re here on normal human errands!”

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances. Riku shook his head with a sigh.

Sora put out his hand; “I’m Sora. Nice to meet you two!”

The large man took Sora’s hand and pumped it, nearly throwing Sora off balance. “Name is Jumba Jookiba.”

“And I’m Pleakley!” the thin woman said. “It’s nice to meet you, Sora!” She turned to Jumba; “See? I told you humans were friendly!”

“I wouldn’t assume that about everyone,” Riku chimed in.

“So what’s the problem?” Sora asked.

“We are on hunt for Experiment 626,” Jumba told him. “Is highly aggressive, incredibly deadly – “

“Dog,” Pleakley finished. “He’s our dog! And a real rascal, too! We’re sure he’s somewhere in this town. Would you happen to have seen, uh…” She gestured vaguely. “A blue dog with six legs? Well, four of them are technically arms…”

“Why does that sound familiar?” Sora thought it over. “Oh! Wait a minute! You guys are talking about Stitch!”

“That guy again?” Donald sighed. “Didn’t he cause enough trouble last time we were here?”

“You know where he is?” Pleakley asked excitedly. “It is really, REALLY important that we contain – I mean bring him home as soon as possible!”

“I haven’t seen him lately,” Sora said, “but I’m sure he’s around! Why don’t we have a look?”

* * *

_Find Stitch in the town square! You can talk to Jumba and Pleakley as NPCs at this point._

_Jumba:_ Is very, very bad dog. Possibly causing widespread destruction this very minute.

 _Pleakley:_ So he’s going by “Stitch” now?

_(Also, Pleakley gets she/her for as long as the main cast perceives her as female.)_

_As you walk around the square, you’ll get this dialogue as well:_

_Goofy:_ Stitch! Oh, Stitch! Where are ya?

 _Donald:_ Yoo-hoo!

 _Riku:_ Here…doggy, doggy?

 _Kairi:_ Good boy! Come here, good boy!

_There’s a crate hidden in a back alley behind one of the shops. Break it open with the Keyblade to find Stitch hiding inside._

* * *

With a gasp, Stitch cried, “SORA!” and pointed.

“Hey there!” Sora knelt to be closer to Stitch’s level. “We found your family looking for you!”

“Family?” Stitch repeated. “Hmmmm…no have family.”

“THERE HE IS!” Jumba yelled, coming around the corner. And in a flash, Jumba and Pleakley had grabbed Stitch up, handcuffing his two sets of arms.

“LET GO!” Stitch yelled, struggling and spouting what sounded like alien curses.

“HEYYYY!” Sora cried. “What gives?”

“Galactic Alliance will be very, very pleased to hear that Experiment 626 has been apprehended,” Jumba stated.

“NAGA!” Stitch yelled. “Will put Stitch in prison!”

“Or disassemble to make again from new parts,” Jumba mused. “Just not get caught this time.”

“No,” Pleakley said sternly.

“But why?” Sora asked. “What did Stitch ever do to you?”

“Sent them to a digital world, maybe,” Donald grumbled.

“Experiment 626 is a dangerous anomaly of science!” Pleakley explained. “We’ve come here all the way from our own planets to – “

“Wait!” Sora cried. “You guys are ALIENS?”

Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi all hung their heads, pressing a hand to each brow.

“You are not to be telling rest of planet,” Jumba stated. “But yes. Am incredibly evil genius of advanced lifeform, and have created over six hundred additional smaller, eviler lifeforms! Latest of which is 626.”

“He has a NAME,” Sora insisted.

“Stitch!” Stitch yelled.

“Let’s just calm down,” Pleakley urged. “This ‘Stitch’ is actually a weapon of mass destruction! Left unattended, he could destroy this whole entire kingdom!”

“That don’t sound right,” Goofy remarked. “Stitch might be a bit of a troublemaker, but he ain’t evil!”

“He’s our friend,” Sora insisted, “and you’re not taking him!”

Riku walked up beside Sora, giving him a nod. “If this comes to a fight, I’m with you.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Pleakley put up her hands. “We’re not here to start a fight! This is for your own good! As a Galactic Agent, it’s my job to do what’s best for people!”

“Bah,” Jumba grumbled. “Am not interested in talk of friendship. Only care about gaining freedom and using genius brain to create even more experiments!”

Suddenly, Sora’s eyes widened. He beamed. He’d just gotten an idea. “Actually, we might be able to work something out, in that case. If you help us with something that’s up your alley…then you can take Stitch home with you.”

“SORA!” Stitch cried, wide-eyed.

Sora winked.

“Oooooohhhh.” Stitch winked back.

“See, we have a couple friends who are just data right now,” Sora explained. “We’re trying to build them new bodies. You know, the kind of thing we’d need a mad scientist to help out with.” He looked to Jumba. Then to Pleakley as he continued, “And it’d be the right thing to do to help ‘em out.”

“Well…” Pleakley thought it over.

“Sounds like waste of time and talent,” Jumba said.

“Oh,” Sora responded, “so you’re saying you can’t do it better than the guy who used to work in our labs and ran off to be an even more evil genius?”

“I AM MOST SUPERIOR GENIUS IN GALAXY!” Jumba roared. “TO PROVE, I WILL BUILD BODIES FOR DATA FRIENDS! Where is laboratory area?”

“Follow us,” Sora said. “Oh, and you’ll have to let Stitch go until we’re done.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good – “ Pleakley attempted.

“It’ll take a while, though,” Kairi reminded her. “And you’re really going to keep him in those cuffs the whole time? That’s inhumane!”

“You know what?” Pleakley realized. “You’re right! Okay. We’ll let him go. But he doesn’t leave our sight!”

“Can work with that,” Stitch sighed.

“Let’s get going,” Sora said. “The sooner we can get our friends’ bodies back, the better.”

* * *

_Head back to the laboratory area. Jumba and Pleakley will appear in each new area you transition to as NPCs. Talk to them for some flavor text:_

_Jumba:_ Making replicas is easy for creator of ultimate destructive experiments! Perhaps, could even add upgrades!

 _Pleakley:_ I may not know much about mad science, but I can be moral support!

_The next cutscene will trigger when you get to the laboratory._

* * *

“IENZO!” Sora cried as he came running in with Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, Jumba, Pleakley, and Stitch in tow. “Good news!”

Ienzo, Aqua, and Lea were waiting to greet them. “Did you find Ven?” Aqua asked.

“Ven’s okay,” Sora told her. “We promise. But he needs a little more time to sort things out.”

Aqua nodded, satisfied.

“But now we have extra help to rebuild Roxas and Naminé!” Sora proclaimed. “Dr. Jumba is a scientist like Even was, and he’s already made all kinds of creatures! He made Stitch! If he can do that, then he can definitely help with the replicas!”

“You’re willing to assist us?” Ienzo asked.

“Will show you all that Jumba is superior genius,” Jumba stated.

“And I’ll help, too!” Pleakley offered.

Ienzo smiled warmly. “We could use all the help we could get. Thank you.”

“Show us way,” Jumba commanded.

Ienzo led him and Pleakley away. Stitch, uncuffed, hopped up onto a nearby wall to relax.

“And now, the waiting begins,” Lea sighed.

* * *

Lea was pacing back and forth across the room. Above him, on the ceiling, Stitch was mirroring his pacing, but upside-down. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were playing a card game in the corner. Aqua sparred with an imaginary partner across the room. Donald poked at his phone while Goofy attempted to balance his own phone on the tip of his index finger.

The rear door slid open. “We’ve done it!” Ienzo proclaimed as he, Jumba, and Pleakley walked back into the room. “It wouldn’t have gone this fast if you hadn’t brought someone who knew what he was doing. And with Pleakley cheering us on, it took no time at all.”

Sora leapt up; “Does that mean they’re here? Are they awake?”

“See for self,” Jumba said. He, Ienzo, and Pleakley all stepped aside.

Roxas and Naminé were revealed. Roxas was clothed in what he’d worn in the digital Twilight Town; Naminé wore a bright white dress. They both looked rather stunned, unsure what to think of the fact that just a moment ago, they had no longer existed, but now, they most certainly did.

Lea gasped: “Roxas…”

“NAMINE!” Sora rushed forward.

“Uh?” Naminé flinched.

Sora stopped in front of her, taking both of her hands up into his own. “THANK YOU!” he cried, looking directly into her eyes. “Thank you for everything! I’ve waited so long to be able to say that!”

“Oh!” Naminé flinched, eyes wide and on the verge of watering. “It’s…it’s so wonderful to be here and be able to hear that.” She smiled.

“How’s it feel to be your own person?” Kairi asked; she and Riku came up to flank Sora.

“It’s…strange,” Naminé admitted. “I’m finally whole. I didn’t realize what parts of me were missing until now.”

“You have your freedom now,” Riku reminded her. “No more castle walls. You can do what you want. So what’s first?”

“I’ll need to think,” Naminé replied. “I mean, there’s just so much!”

Roxas, on the other hand, had walked up to his old friend. “Axel. It’s really you.”

“Actually,” Axel told him, “I go by ‘Lea’ now.”

“Lea,” Roxas repeated, breaking into a smile. “We did it. We made it into the next life. Together.”

“Whaddaya say?” Lea offered. “Next round of sea-salt ice cream’s on me?”

A cry of “VEN!” got everyone’s head to turn. Ven had walked into the room, looking none too happy, and Aqua had called out his name without thinking. He fired her a sour look, and she glanced away.

“Hey, Ven!” Lea greeted. “Doing any better?”

“Yeah,” Ven sighed. “I figured staying away wasn’t the best way to solve my problems. And wasn’t fair to most of you.”

“Who…are you?” Roxas asked, his tone mounting in suspicion. “How do you know Lea?”

“You must be Roxas,” Ven realized, gaining an honest smile. “I’m Ven. Lea and I met in this very world, ten years ago. He was a lot shorter back then.”

“You sure you weren’t taller?” Lea teased.

“Why do you look like me?” Roxas asked sharply.

“I think it’s more that you look like me,” Ven corrected. “I took refuge in Sora’s heart during my ten years of sleep. You’re his Nobody, right? So you took after me.”

“So I’m not actually my own person after all?” Roxas yelled suddenly. “I have to look at my body double, knowing that he was the one who came first, made me who I am, AND knew my best friend before I did?”

“Roxas, calm down!” Lea urged. “It’s not a contest!”

“My whole life has been trying to figure out who I am,” Roxas urged. “Trying to become someone independent. Someone who didn’t take orders from someone else, or exist to be part of someone who came first. But that’s just not possible, is it?”

“I’m sorry, Roxas,” Ven told him. “I can’t help existing.”

“UGH!” Roxas yelled. “Every moment from when I appeared, my life wasn’t mine! I’m so SICK OF IT!”

“Seriously, Roxas – “ Lea reached out for his shoulder.

Roxas turned his back on Lea, folding his arms. “Save it. I don’t wanna hear it right now.”

Sora looked around to where Roxas had turned away, Lea was avoiding looking at him either, and now Ven and Aqua were back to turning their backs on one another as well.

“I thought this moment would be happier,” Sora said softly.

* * *

_You reappear in Twilight Town. You’re free to move about and stock up at the shops. Also, Riku, Kairi, Lea, Aqua, Ven, Roxas, and Mickey can be found around town. Talk to each of them in the area where they’ve shown up to get some extra dialogue._

_Riku (Sandlot):_ You’ve got that look in your eye that says you’re going to try and fix everything. Well, you’re the only person who could.

 _Kairi (Market Street):_ So Jumba and Pleakley decided to stay back in Radiant Garden and keep working with Ienzo. You sure charmed them!

 _Lea (Station Plaza):_ Does it really matter so much that Ven was my friend first…?

 _Aqua (Sunset Hill):_ I get it. There are things I can’t take back. I’ve accepted that.

 _Ven (Tram Common):_ I’m still mad at Aqua, but that shouldn’t affect the rest of you. I’m sorry I snapped.

 _Roxas (The Usual Spot):_ To think I never actually set foot in this place before. Another memory that isn’t mine…

 _Mickey (Sunset Terrace):_ We can’t let our guard down. Xehanort’s probably gonna try and stir up some more trouble. Get ready!

* * *

_Two more worlds are now open for you to travel to. They are AGRABAH and ATLANTICA._


End file.
